Happy Tuesday, blog buddies!

Did ya'll have a great Christmas/holiday/Monday yesterday?!? Didya didya? I certainly did!

I went down to my brother's fiance's parents house to celebrate the big day with my mom and we had a GREAT time! In fact, Santa himself was there to greet us as we walked in!

Here's Santa and Louise:

She looks a little scared of the big guy, don't you think?

Santa brought me a Seahawks hat!!!!

THANKS, SANTA (even though we lost on Christmas Eve)!

My brother got to sit on Santa's lap, too.

But the real fun was watching my nephew Kai try to figure Santa out.

Here's a picture of Ward and Joan, Amy's (my brother's fiance) parents.

Thanks, Ward and Joan, for a great great great Christmas day!!!

I was really touched this year by how seriously everyone took Louise. I know some people think, "Oh, what's the big deal? She's just a dog..."

Those people suck. Louise is WAY more than "just a dog" to me. She's a soul who makes me happy each and every day.

Seeing my family embrace her the way they do melts my heart. Eric and Amy got her a fancy pink Coach collar! My mom wrapped presents under the tree for her, including snacks and a new pink shawl! My mom's best friend Boni got her doggie bones, a picture frame, and a neat-o travel bowl! Ward and Joan had a stocking hanging with her name on it full of goodies! I love love love that my family takes our bond seriously. It's a good feeling.

In other news...

Today's blog would have been up WAY sooner but I was having computer issues. My computer wouldn't turn on and - for the life of me - I couldn't figure out what the problem was. "Stupid piece of crap" (Only I didn't say "stupid" or "crap").

After about a half an hour of trying to figure it out I realized it wasn't plugged in.

Oopsies!

Until tomorrow, gang!
Ross

COMMENTS

Can't believe I'm first. Sound like you had a wonderful Christmas. I know how you feel about Louise. We have a fur baby also. My husband says she is his best friend-always happy to see him and never talks behind his back.

am i first? ohmygosh!

Merry Christmas Ross & Louise. We live in New Brunswick, Canada. It is raining here right now. We have green lawns (unheard of here) but it was so great for my husband because he owns a plowing company that works on contract and no snow it good for us. He actually got to be home for Christmas! We have a dog named Gus. He's a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Just a little info for ya! Have a great New Year!
Gus' Mom

Darn! Second!

Anyway, your Santa has a very soft looking outfit on! And Louise is such a cutie-pie. As well as all the humans in the photos!

Ross, you are one of the most photogenic people I've come across. Every photo you look wonderful.

Hi Ross, The way you described the gifts for Louise brought tears to my eyes, I know the feeling, I feel the same way about my Mocha, they are so special aren't they. Yep. Sounds and looks like you had a really great Christmas/holiday/Monday
! What is a Coach Collar, Louise looks really great in her new clothes. Your family is great for sure. Love ya, Bobbie xoxox

Typo Alert: "shall" should be "shawl" -- I bet Louise looks cute in it regardless!

Today has been spent re-arraigning toys on shelves to make room for new ones and retired old/broken ones. Also spent time watching G's new Roomba take on the TV room. Spending time trying to catch up on extra stuff I'm involved with and simply enjoying some "down time" from work.

Wishing everyone a "Happy Boxing Day!"

Berry

Happy Boxing Day Ross! It's boxing day in Australia!

Ross,
I totally understand the bond between you and Louise. When my parents and I had to travel back and forth to Dallas 2 mos ago for my dad's medical issues, we had Daisy boarded at our local pet grooming salon/hotel. My Auntie (who lives with us) has that "they're just a dog" attitude about her and has been known to neglect her own dog, Hemi. Since relocating to OK, we've "adopted" Hemi, his friend, Blackie, Daisy and now Dixie. It's amazing how much unconditional love you receive in return when you open your heart and life to an animal. Kudos to you, Ross, for adopting Louise, and kudos for your family to respect and honor that bond between you two.
And since I'm considered "SantaBaby" here in the jno household, you will be pleased to know "SantaBaby" didn't forget her canine bruthas and sistas......

Love to y'all!!!

jno

LOL@ Berry, Glynis, and Roomba! My sister and brother-in-law got a Roomba for Christmas last year, and all of us ended up doing the same thing... getting mesmerized watching it vacuum the floors automatically!

Happy Boxing Day to all the Commonwealthers like Gail out there!

Hey Ross! I have already told Berry that his spelling of rearranging should have been checked before he told you how to spell shawl... oh well, love him anyway!

I love all the photos we are getting!! Thanks for letting us into your living room and act as a fly on the blog. So fun to see how you all are spending the holidays. It is very clear that you all enjoy being together and love each other very much.

What are in the Cuisinart boxes? I love cooking toys!!

We haven't gone bowling yet and I am not sure if we are going to keep up the tradition as planned. There are already missing toy pieces, a broken antenae on the remote car and numerous other things that put me over the edge. Then my little Roomba made me happy. I love anything that will clean the house for me. Is there a roomba that will make beds and keep the play room organized? Hmmmmmm...

Glynis: Not yet, but there is... SCUBA! It will wash your floors for you!

BTW, I do NOT have a vested financial interest in the company that sounds like "I Ho Bot" Corp!

HAPPY BOXING DAY EVERYONE!
I've spent the day napping. I love naps!

Thanks for more pix Ross! I love your blogs even more when pix are included.

That's wonderful that even the newest members of your family have taken to Louise, and have included her in the festivities. I completely understand. My husband thinks we're all nuts in my family because of the way we go all out for our pets.

My mom's Boston Terrier had almost as many gifts as the kids and was just as excited. He also buys us gifts and sends cards (even e-cards), and I send them to him as well. It's fun! And don't even try to tell us that he doesn't "get it".

**snort**
You didn't have your puter plugged in.
Gotta love that!

ooopsie....
didn't change my log in name here at work.

Wow, a Coach collar! That was very sweet of Eric & Amy. I agree about people accepting dogs. I was in the local bar up north on Sunday, the only customer just then & the owners' daughter came in b/4 they got there. The woman working there told the girl she could bring the dog inside b/c it was cold & wet outside. I did not mind at all. She only had the dog in for a few minutes then took her out to the back. Please don't tell anyone.

Lol @ the computer not being plugged in. Yes that helps make it go on. ;-)

Just for the record dog's are life's real gaurdian angels; the epitome of Godliness on earth.
I think the fact that you take animals so seriousely is what attracted many of your bloggers to you.

Merry Christmas to the Mathews Clan...I swear Louise is Smiling! She knows she is Loved...Mom-Ross even talks to her on the phone...What a darling rescue she is too.Who lives better than Louise???
Thanks to All the Bloggers for sharing their Holidays with Us...And Thanks Many times over Ross for including us in the everyday details of your Life.
Home is where the Heart is and you have created a wonderful home here on the blog.I feel like I am a part of a Great Big Wonderful Family I love Christmas, and I share it with My Furbabies and all the furbabies of Family and Friends.Josie, Bray, Missy and Bailey all have their own Christmas Stockings and get gifts along with the rest of the family.
Happy Boxing Day!!!
Stay safe and Give Louise Kisses from us here in NY...

Louise looks a little scared of Santa! I wanted to take our furry baby to see Santa "Paws" at the mall and have his picture taken, but our kitty is shy and rather scared of large crowds, so that didn't happen.

Looks like you had a fantastic Christmas, even though the Seahawks lost, at least they got the NFC West in their stockings!

Jac, I had treats to put in my dog's stockings and they had this very distressed look in their eyes as if to say:
"what are you doing that for? those are for us, why would you put them in such a cruel place?"
Ralph, I also have a friend who bears an uncanny resemblance to Ross, you should have sent a photo to Ross for the Christmas gift.
Send him one anyway so we can compare. the real clencher is if you sound like him.

I want Ross to adopt me now because I could sure use a new Coach purse, or collar, whatever.... :)

Great pics of "the fam"! And Santa too! ;)

louise is such a lucky little girl. you KNOW i take pets seriously. LOL i can't imagine not having a pet in my life. even in college when i lived in the dorms (hence, NO pets) i had goldfish. i had to have SOMETHING. check out my myspace page to see tucker on xmas. he was EXHAUSTED by all the excitement. LOL

Happy Boxing day Ross-We are the ones to be blessed for having you, Louise and the rest of your family join into ours. You all are the greatest.
Glynis-the boxes contained a new coffeemaker and a new coffee grinder. What else would a true seattle coffee drinker get. (We do love our coffee)
Happy New Year to you and Louise and all your Blog Buddies.
Joan, Ward and Santa

I want Coach and a roomba -- it sounds cool.

thanks for making Xmas a bit less lonely.

LMAO -- plug it in -- today I tried to figure out what was wrong with the toaster and then I realized - it wasn't plugged in. oopsies.

I actually said oopsies -- Ross is rubbing off on me.

Take care.

DOH! Not plugged in, baaa haaa! Is that like walking around looking for your keys when they're in your hand the whole time? Start watching that egg-nogg Ross! I'm sure you laughed about it later right??

Mom Ross, nice to see a picture to that name now! Eric too!

I have yet to finish Christmas dinner! Oh the bloating, the belching, the far.... (never mind)! The discomfort of it all! (I love it!) Time for more!

The drinking, the falling over, the dizzyness, the passing out! Ahh, it's like being young all over again! Good thing I don't drink that much anymore!

At work I had one patient Christmas Eve with a cardiac history and having chest pain. He was very drunk and refusing service (idiot). So we had him arrested and took him forcibly to the hospital. We can do that up here under the Mental Health Act if we feel he is a danger to himself. Very cool law. Good news is he will be OK. (now!)

Cheers everybody! have a great holiday season!

No drinking and driving eh!

I'm glad you had a good Christmas. You did however make me question my sanity for a second. It's tuesday not monday. LOL! I was like wow what day is it.
I'm so happy your family got Louise gifts too. We do that for our kitties. My son does it for his dog. He bought his the cutest leather jacket with pluto on the back. I wish I had gotten a pic because Guess(thats the dogs name) tore it up while on his body today. Sighs.... Kids just dont appreciate things these days. LOL! I bought our kitties some catnip toys and it was so funny watching them snif the packages.
I have to admit i'm glad Christmas is over. I'm beat flat.
Have a super night.
Huggles,
Jamie

I like that law Bill.
I had visited alcoholics anonymous meeting with friends.
Time after time they gave testimony to drinking and driving night after night, week after week, year after year.
It is scary when you realize how often we are on the roads with someone who has been drinking and driving.
My dad was always drunk so he was always driving drunk with kids in the car, it's not like kids have a choice.
You can bet I stay home on New Years Eve.

Jac I don't know what Josie would do with a roomba but my dogs would kill it for sure.

Ross, I thought your new laptop was wireless???????
Doesn't the wireless work at Mom's...That also confused me, along with the Happy Monday!!!Phew, at my age you have to watch for signs of Alzheimers, but alas it wasn't me...It was you Ross! :lol: :lol: :lol:
P.S. Santa forgot our Blog Emoticons...maybe they'[re in the Bottom of his bag...LMAO!!!
PPS: Hy, Josie chased the vacuum when she was younger, now she just runs upstairs when I vacuum downstairs, and runs downstairs when I vacuum upstairs...not out of fear but rather to get out of my way when I vacuum...I must tell her move 1000 times.

Happy Boxing Day !!

Ross- When I saw the pic of Louise with Santa I went awe. ROFLMAO at you not plugging in the computer and Kai trying to figure out Santa.!! Ward and Joan look geat too.

Berry and Glynis- ROFLMAO at you watching the Roomba. Thank you sending me your holiday family photo card.

Whabby- I think Glynis is going to get a SCUBA next.

Oh dag nabbit I didn't change my name.

One of my favorite computer sayings is: "You need to be smarter than the machine to work it." LOL. Thankfully there was nothing wrong with your machine and you COULD blog. I think most of us would go into serious withdrawals without our daily Ross blog FIX. I know MOM_Ross would have let you blog on her computer!

Sounds like you have had a fantastic holiday so far. Was anyone else thinking the pic of Eric made him look like Ross's twin brother? And, isn't it fantastic that the two families have blended so seamlessly?

Glynis, I too was wondering about the Cuisinaire boxes. Thanks to June for clearing it up and joining us here in Rossland. The more the merrier.

I hit the mall with Singing Marcie at 6 AM to get some bargains on Hallmark ornaments. That has become a holiday tradition with us - ornament shopping on Dec 26. Boxing Day here means getting MORE stuff that comes in BOXES! LOL again.

Still no snow here. Maybe we'll have a White New Year's Day! Happy First Day of Christmas ... and a partridge in a pear tree.

um, am I confused or isn't today tuesday??
I sure hope not cause then I get an extra day off!
Sounds like everyone's furbabies had a great christmas too! granddaddy got our girl xena this weird little ball thing with strings coming out of it all over.. she absolutely loved it!
She got other fun gifts too (not a coach collar.. but still...)
we are home.. happy to be here and back to the grind for a couple days this week before a week with the niece and nephew and we CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!
later taters.
bisc

Rotfl at ME! Cuisenaire is a company that makes hand-on school manipulatives. I meant Cuisenart. DUH!!!!!

Just wanted to say real quick, loved the pics as always you seem to make me smile when I need it the most.

::hugs to all::

Mikey x2 aka cubbie.. er whatever..

Jac I think the sound of the vacuum bothers their ears also.

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Ross! It looks like you all had a wonderful holiday.

We enjoyed the holiday as well. My toddler has been going non-stop since discovering his Santa presents yesterday morning, and my 5 month old loved tearing into the wrapping paper. Fun!

Glynis, if/when you find something that automatically cleans up the play room, let me know! I need that!!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Ross, Louise is absolutely adorable!! I am so glad she got all those gifts, and is accepted into your family!! How funny that you forgot to plug in your computer--it's nice to remember that you're just human like the rest of us!!

Berry and Glynis--LOL at you watching the roomba--I know that is what I would have done too!!

Marr--I'm glad that you made it for your shopping spree!! I hope you got all the ornaments you wanted!!

I got my cats new toys, as well as my son's 2 cats and his dog--they each got their own stockings with toys in them too!!

I need a maid or robot or something! My house is a disaster!!!! And yet, here I sit at the computer.

Whoops! That should have been SCOOBA. Wouldn't want to short change I-ho-bot, dontcha know!

I'm looking for a Groomba...That my 117lb. Furbaby will fit into get groomed and Nails cut and Buffed.....Whabby, you're the engineer...and your familiar with Robots...Let's work out a deal...Maybe Marr will buy one!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

What's a roomba?

I also adore my wonderful hermie crabs, hamsters, fish, guinea piggies, and kitties and rabbit.

They are all special in our household.

Gotta go - my polydactyl kitty wants his mommie to love him up and that's me!!!!

Ross-- Once again I'd like to thank you and family for sharing the pictures with us. It is very gracious of you all. Amy's family seems to be one with welcoming open arms and you all must be thrilled to be adding them to your family (and they yours to theirs). Congrats to Eric on a GREAT find!

Whabby--I have no idea what i-ho-bot is, why can't we just say the name of the store? Or is it more enjoyable to make fun of the displaced-American-who-can't-remember-her-home-she's-been-away-too-long? I am just being silly of course, but really what is that store???

Welcome to the blog, Joan!! Come back and say hi when you can. Come see us in the chat room, also!! Loads of mirth & merriment exist in there....usually!!! You have to see the rocket scientist who works for NASA imitate a comedian. Fuh-nee!! **winks and nods towards Whabby**

Have fun in chat tonight, peeps!! I have an early day tomorrow.

jno

R.I.P Gerald R. Ford:
1913-2006

Reminder: Ross the Intern and john Melendez go to a Fashion how on the Tonight Show on the Second Show...2:05 AM est.!

ROFLMAO@Groomba! And at Hart sitting at your computer rather than doing the human cleaning thing!

Meghan: I'm not sure whether Ross would rather we don't mention real companies in the comments section, so I play it safe. As to the company in question.. well... do you remenber the recent movie with Will Smith, based on the famous Isaac Asimov novel of the same name? That's it!

BTW, Roombas are starting to fly off the shelves, which is totally fine with me! The more profitable I-Ho-Bot becomes, the more resources they will have to invest in and further improve the product.

For instance, the maneuvering algorithm for the current generation of Roombas is not very smart... we need a next-generation version that "learns" the geographical layout of your house, including the locations of obstructions, and incorporates that knowledge into its tracking pattern.

And after that, of course, we need a Roomba that can be commanded by voice!

Jackie:TY! Chat was indeed a riot tonight...

Cubbie: LOL at the naming confusion! Newport News and Santa Cruz, we have a problem!

There's no problem he's Cubbie and I'm Mikey!!

I looked up this roomba thing... had never heard of it, or it's company before. Which is the best version to get? I have no pets, though I plan to get one dog and one cat when we buy a home (in about a year). Thanks for any help!

If the German shepherd hair doesn't kill the roomba the Germwn shepherd will, or is that vice versa.
Believe me, you will never have alien invaders come to your house with a German Shepherd.
But you will, as Jacny and I give testimony to, have an endless supply of dog hair.

Hmmm why wasn't Ward sitting on Santa's knee?

Whab, they need a Roomba that accepts pictures of the room, converts them into metric readings, changes them into a holographic image (a la Star Trek: Next Generation) and sweeps from there. YOU can invent it for us.

Happpy Second Day of Christmas - 2 turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree - Thats 4 birds so far - yesterday's and 3 for today!

See ya later taters, in the chat room!

LOL@Marr! OK, I'll see if I can get funding for it! A dog-friendly version, of course.

Meghan, I actually don't own one... yet... all this Roomba-watching happened last year at my sis and brother-in-laws' place. Berry probably researched the various models recently...

Hy: Ward didn't get to sit on Santa's knee because he was a little hard on the Beaver last night.

OMG!! Whabby, you're cracking me up again......LOLOLOLOL

Hey gang! Hope you all had Merry Christmases! Ours was fabulous!

Just caught up on blogs/comments from the weekend...and I will forgive the glaring omission of little ole moi since I love hy and whab so much!!! ;)

Rossalicious, looks like you're having a wonderful time with your family! Thanks for sharing the pics and your family with us! You look fab by the way!

Glad to be back online after the busy holiday...sucks when 3-D life gets in the way of my Rossland!

Take care!

Dagnabbit! Trish, I'm thinking of a New Year's present for you right now!! You were a terrible omission!

you devil whabby

whabby-How about a bottle of Dom? Roflmao at too hard on the Beaver.

LOL! I've had times like that with my computer! Looks like you and your doggie had a great time. She looks like she is related to Santa's beard!

cracking up at the comments. You guys are too funny!!! Bo has already torn up his new toy. Somebody needs to invent indestructible stuffed dog toys with squeakers that are not so annoying. It's ok though...I love my Bo-bo.

I just heard on the news that there are some small power outages around Western WA... and one of them is in Mt Vernon. Ross, do you have power where you are?

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