Yay For Birthdays!!

My birthday was Thursday of this week ~ February 26th, but I've been taking advantage of my special day ever since.

It's been really awesome! My parents started it off with a heartfelt card and a beautiful flower arrangement the night before. On the actual day, my co-workers brought me a delicious German chocolate cake, strawberries, a chocolate shake at lunch, balloons & flowers. I also received a lot of cards in the mail & birthday money. I hope to get back into the gym & use my birthday money to get a personal trainer again. I LOVED having one before the wedding!!
That evening, Eric & I went out for a nice dinner and then shoe shopping. When we got home, I got to open a present ... perfume ~ Armani Code. Mmmm! It was a truly amazing day!! The following day, I continued the awesomeness by having lunch with two of my favorite people from a previous employer. Tonight I went for a celebratory dinner with my family & got even more pressies! My parents generously gave me money to continue Percy's training as he graduates from his current class on Tuesday. I'm excited to enroll him in the next! I also received an adorable English-style teapot night light. Thanks M&D!! Nicola & Kevin gave me a mic for karaoke & I'm absolutely thrilled. This mic has a story ... it was my sister's first karaoke mic & means the world to her. She got a new one for Christmas that does fancier things, but still couldn't bare to part with her old one. This problem was solved by passing it along to me. Great idea!! I can't wait for my first karaoke party! I need to get some serious practice time in though. I can't have anyone showin' me up in my own house! ;oD

Keep the festivities comin'! I just love birthdays!! Here are some pics from Saturday night ...

Birthday Girl & Hubby

The Gang's All Here!!

M&D

Nicola & Kevin

It's a bird ... it's a plane ...

Nope, it's a SOPHIE!!

This is one of the funniest things that Sophie does. She is so intrigued by the birds living in the bushes on the side of our house & will spend hours back there chasing them. Now that she has Percy to help, she sends him 'round the back to stir them up while she jumps as high as she can trying to nab one. Thankfully, she hasn't been quick enough to get one yet & I hope she never is!

Watch Out for Cocoa Mulch!

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Target, Foreman's Garden Supply and other garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ' Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of th eobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that 'It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it.'

Read up on it on Snopes:

www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp

Thanks for passing this on Ceci!!