Happy Halloween!!!!!

Happy Halloween Lovelies!!!! My Halloween outfit is very appropriate.. I am scary enough without a costume!!! 

How do you feel about Halloween?? I hear so many people say they love it or hate it... When I was young I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE going to Haunted Houses...going to haunted houses and laughing my butt off with my sister who would get so scared... now.. its hard.. haunted houses have a line around the block and you have to pay like 50.00 just to get in... so I think my haunted house days are over.. but I do love Halloween... I have to say.. I love giving out candy... I love having a fire and snuggling with my hubsband in the dark watching a scary movie... and of course I love the spirits.. both in the air and in the bottle... so however you feel about Halloween... have a great one... Happy Haunting!!!

the baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaby...

Today's Pookapookapooka is dedicated to Cooper... he is the baaaaaaaby of the family... and today he is getting a procedure done to get the tartar off of his teeth... I have had Australian Terriers for the last 17 years... Cooper is my third one... (technically fourth, but one got hit by a car tragically out of my care when she was one...) and this dog has seriously got a hold of my heart... he is craaaaazy beyond crazy... whenever a fire truck goes by he howls like this..    

if you ask him, "Do you want to go outside?" He barks like crazy and runs to the door.... when you pet his face and then stop, he puts his head under your hand to be like,  "Uhhhh.. what? we're done?? no..."
As my three readers of this blog know, I had an Australian Terrier and she died of heart failure and I know it was because her teeth were so bad...I think the infection from her teeth traveled to her heart... she was 12 so it wasn't like she didnt' live a good life, but it could have been longer.. so now I am on top of these teeth... Brady had 4 teeth removed last summer because they were rotten and now Cooper is having this cleaning done to try to prevent that.. I told y'all about that documentary I watched, "One Nation Under Dog".. one of the quotes from it was the only thing wrong with having a dog is knowing his life will end before yours"... soooooooo true!!! "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
—Will Rogers (actor)

WIWW...

Good Morning Lovelies!!! Its Wednesday... that means over at thepleatedpoppy.com andtuckerup.blogspot.com we got ourselves a linkup!!! Today's shirt is Groopdealz... and I know you're saying, "But I thought you were giving up Groopdealz..." I did.. this is just a late arrival from before my ban....

I would love to tell y'all what I'm watching, reading, listening to, etc... but I swear.. it is sliiiiiim pickings out there for us tv lovers....this is what I have so far...

1.  The Amazing Race..We are on I think week 4 of Amazing Race... same race more distrurbing people... Look at those teeth!!!

2. The Affair.. Remember when I said this would be a good show?? I was underestimating how good it would be... Sooooooooooo good!!! (Sunday night Showtime)

3. Kendra On Top

 ok.. this one I half hearted recommend... did Hank cheat??? Will they get back together?? is Hank a perv?? Is this all for ratings??? I don't know... but her kids are cute....
4. Hunger Games Games of Fire I watched this on Netflix last night... really good!!! I'm not a Hunger Games fanatic... but I did see number one and this one was a good prelim to number 3

5. The Walking Dead I know I know.. you're already watching... if not.. now is a great time to jump on board!!!

Those are some slim pickings I tell you..but I dont' know what is going on with tv... I haven't even seen any new shows from HBO... if you have any good shows PLEASE tell me!!! I am seriously desperate...

if you're a man.. stop reading now...

ugggggggghhhhhhhhhhh.... I have had my period since I was 13.. that means  I have had approximately 372 periods in my life... I am DONE with menstruation!!! My gynecologist told me I was so "lucky" to still be getting my period.. I am like, "uhhhhh.. NO!!' Every time it comes I'm like,"ughhhhhhh!! again!!"... and being the ripe old age of 44 your period looks the same on day 4 as day 1.. its not like in my 30's when it was all wrapped up in 4 days.. now its like day 8 and I'm like, C'mon already!!!!
I'm not trying to offend.. just be real... we can be done with periods by 44!!!! if what my dr. says is true and I have at least 5 more years... ughhhhhhhh..... I'll be a crabby crabby gal....





Red Ribbon Week and alotta criticism...

Good Afternoon??? Lovelies.... Again.. my day got away from me... I started out this day with the black and white scarf with the red sweatshirt... my hubsband's comment was that the scarf was a little,"isis ish"... like I looked like a member of Isis... so I IMMEDIATELY changed to the blue scarf which got his approval....

I had breakfast with my dad (my number one reader of this blog.. I'm number 2.. so I have like one more..but thats three!!!) and he has all kinds of comments about the blog, "Why dont' you talk about me?? Why dont' you talk about your mother?? Why don't you talk about your family???"  I'm like, " you should start your OWN blog and then you can talk about ALL these things!!!"...  He thinks everyone thinks like him and when you don't theres probably something wrong with you... but hes a real piece of work my dad...

Hes a great person to look up to.. hes always motivated... Hes kind of like God.. you think hes always disappointed in you, and then you find out hes got nothing but love for you all the time... so today.. I dedicate pookapookapooka to my dad... Hes got a whole lotta love... so I hope he feels mine today....

 Have a great day!!!

a 45 year old grandma vs. a 40 year old mama

Hey all!! Its Thursday.. almost Friday... I had to showcase my little shoes today because Katie over at http://forlaurenandlauren.blogspot.com/ had them on this week and she looked super cute so I had to wear them!!! Here is what she looked like in them... how adorable is she???

So anyway.... on my mind for the past couple of weeks....

A friend of mine who has been trying to get pregnant for a little while found out shes pregnant... shes almost 40... it makes me think: Would I have been a better mom if I had waited until I was 35-40 to have my kids?? Wouldn't I have been better prepared for the pitfalls and the financial responsibilities? Wouldn't my kids have a better, nicer house to live in?  I don't know... if I had a baby when I was 40 I would be retired when that child was 22... as it is...  my kids will be like in their 30's when I retire... but hopefully (fingers CROSSED) I will have all kinds of time for my grandchildren...(I dont' have any on the horizon or anything... this is all just wishful thinking) I don' t know.. is having a baby when you're 24 better than having a baby when you're 44? Health risks aside... there are pros and cons to both... what I think is we as women don't treasure that feeling of being a new mom enough... being a NEW mom.. your first baby is something that is 1000% life changing... you go in one person, you exit another... and I wish we could just sit with it and be in the moment of it.. but its hard... hormones get in the way, pain gets in the way.... but I do miss it... being a brand new mama... Now I'm an old mama... but hopefully... in the not too distant future... a young grandma...

What I Wore Wednesday!!!

Good Morning Lovelies!!!! Its What I Wore Wednesday over at thepleatedpoppy.com and tuckerup.blogspot.com... Today's outfit comes to us care of Pinterest... I'm not much of a pinterest gal... I admit.. I don't like the separate pieces put together.. I like a real person in the clothes... but I found this one gal wearing  the dress with brown boots.. lots of brown boots on the Pinterest... 

Going through my fav blogs.. lots of you out there are really into the "challenges"... the 30 day challenge, the snap challenge, the 10.00 a week challenge... its all about the challenges!!!! I'm going to have to find a challenge if I want to keep this blog interesting... 

Have a GREAT Wednesday!!!! 

Two for the Price of One...

Excuse my absence yesterday... I went on a field trip to the Bulls/Sox Academy with my puppies.. .they were very excited and very worked out.... but I DID take a pic yesterday... the pink sweater.. I know y'all have seen it from Target... I wasnt' going to get it until the woman next to me said, " You know Princess Diana had that same sweater...".. I'm like you had me at Princess".. so I HAD to buy it... it was an homage to her....

Today's outfit.. the sweatshirt is from Groopdealz...One of my final purchases (sob!!) But I have to give up Groopdealz!!! How sad is that!!!Its SAD... Trust me.... I'm weeping... but we persevere... like I said.. I can NOT give up my beloved Goodwill and Salvation Army....

On other fronts.. this week and next are Parent/Teacher conferences!!! Gross!!! its not that its bad like the people are bad... the parents I have are quite lovely.. but after talking all day.. those 15 mins per conference are brutal... but 3 a day are way better than 23 in two days... So I'll be one happy camper come November 4 when all conferneces are DONE!!!!

I hope you have a WONDERFUL day Today!!!!

Religion....

Religion.... Sex, money, religion... You're not supposed to talk about any of them... But religion has been front and foremost in my mind.... Now I am born and raised catholic.... I went to catholic school for 12 years and I looked at the church as my refuge... My a safe place... I sang in the choir, I lived singing for The Lord.... But then I graduated high school and felt like I'd been kicked out of the church.... I really did... But I kept going to mass... I even brought my hubsband to the church and he converted to Catholicism... I felt like I was back... Then.... In 1997 I had my son and I wanted to have him christened in the church I was christened in, I was married in, and my hubsband was baptized in.... But the church said ,"no... Sorry, but your family are no longer parishioners... So... No dice" I was devastated.... I felt like the church had abandoned me and I left...( sidenote: my son was christened) so I left the church.... It felt like a boundary war... And I focused on my relationship with God.... I got closer. To God than I had ever been....
Now....17 years later.... Hubs is going to a Christian church.... I'm not on board.... I feel FOR ME..... Religion can be a hindrance to God.... Some people get so caught up in the church God isn't the focus.... Catholicism had a lot of restrictions and rules... Giving up meat on Fridays, going to confession,etc.... That's EASY!!!! Loving someone whose beliefs counter yours is hard.... Loving someone who doesn't believe in Gid is hard.... Living honestly is hard.... Religion isn't bad or wrong... But for right now... It's hard....

Spending.....

Like all of you out there working day to day.. . the subject of money has crept into the Bruce household this week... like, how much is too much? how much are YOU spending? How much am I spending?

 I spend WAAAAAYY too much time spending.. this much I know... and my Groopdealz addiction was found out when my husband asked me concerned," What is Groopville?" I'm all like, "What?? Huh?? Groopwhat??" So now that wonderful email that I look forward to every day is now something I have to avoid like the plague... So then he starts in on Goodwill and Salvation Army!! WHAAATTTT??? How DARE you disparage the good name of Goodwill and Salvation Army!!!" So I have to compromise... No more Groopdealz... but Salvation Army and Goodwill? theres going to have to be a sweet trade off for that... your move hubs....

Have a GREAT Friday!!!!

What I Wore Wednesday!!!!

My What I wore Wednesday linkup with thepleatedpoppy.com and tuckerup.blogspot.com is all black... for a couple of reasons:

Today is picture day and black is supposed to be slimming...

I neglected to think about my outfit yesterday and it was a bust... today is raining so I was going to wear rain boots.. but they're not broken in thus would be uncomfortable...

So my WIWW is inspired by Zorro... all I'm missing is the mask!!!

Wednesday....

Wednesday..... I HATE Wednesday!!!! Wednesday is garbage day:... It what I wore Wednesday.... It's gym day.... When I travel from one end of the building to the other.... Wednesday is the day I just have to get to 3:15..Wednesday.... Gross....

I'm still here...

Good Morning Lovelies!!!! After a very wet and rainy Columbus Day I am not back for round 2 of the wet and rainy day.... this means in door recess.... I HATE indoor recess!!!! I can feel all the germs spreading throughout the room, and even though I bought a bunch of stuff for my puppies for indoor recess ( fake food, barbies, babies, mini racecars, etc) so they are entertained but LOUD... but we have no choice... so we move forward...

I have been reading "The Miniaturist" and I'm about halfway done... so far so good.. I recommend it!!! 

Have a WONDERFUL day today!!!!

The views expressed by Suzanne do not reflect the views of pookapookapooka...

ok... during this long weekend (Thank GOD for Christopher Columbus even if he was a masogynistic, bastard who probably killed everyone he saw.. who knows!!)I have been on a documentary binge... I watched the first one. "112 Weddings" about a videographer who went back to some of the couples he was hired to tape their weddings and saw how they were doing now and what their views of marriage was years later... pretty good... I've watched about three from this same documentarian... the next one I watched... Not so lighthearted.... One Nation Under Dog is a distrubing, horrifying, and frightening look at how dogs are put to sleep  in shelters... there are many aspects to this documentary.. from vicious dogs who are put to sleep, a couple who loved their dog so much they cloned it, another piece on pet cemetaries, but the part that goes into the shelters is horrifying... I wont' tell you what is shown, but however you think dogs are euthanized.... think again... it is so much more like a holocaust... that is what is happening to dogs... a holocaust... and the ironic thing is... I rescued a dog from a shelter... if you have to bring the dog back for any reason, you will not be allowed to rescue another dog ever... this is cutting off a large population of people who may have been in a financial crisis, a  health crisis, or a family crisis at the time they surrendered the dog... the shelters make you sign a contract saying that if for any reason you cannot keep the dog you bring it back to the shelter... and then you are blacklisted... if for some reason one of these people wants to rescue one or two dogs, they will be denied and the dogs will most likely be put to death... how is this acceptable????The volunteers who go into shelters are doing a good thing... they want to help the animals.. but how is euthanizing dogs gotten to the point where it is simply a necessary evil?? Another note: I adopted a dog from a shelter.... that dog was not neutered at the time of adoption... I signed a contract stating that I agreed to neuter the dog... and I did... but how many people simply dont' neuter their dogs??? Why why why are the shelters not neutering the dogs BEFORE they are adopted??? money.. I know.. but how much is it costing to euthanize and dispose of these animals???I am angered at the SHELTERS that are perpetuating the euthaniasia of millions of dogs!!! I know shelter volunteers are going to go off.. they LOVE the animals and are doing everything in their human power to get them adopted... but when you have a person who adopted a dog, then had to bring it back for a legitimate reason, that person will not be able to help the dogs.. so if you fall in that category... where will you go? A breeder.... which as we all know are the puppy mill provider!!! (that is a gross exaggeration btw)...
NOW... I know.... the reason for the stringent adoption laws for dogs is dog fighting and over breeding....I get it... BUT is euthanizing millions of dogs a year better???? I don't have the answers.. I really don't but shelters maybe don't either.... maybe... neuter dogs BEFORE adoption... Let those who have had to bring a dog back to the shelter a second chance... maybe a year probation...
I know this sounds like I'm trying to adopt a dog and are being denied.. I'm not.. but I'll never be able to rescue another dog because I had to surrender my dog because he and my other dog fought so badly and the veterinarian told me that I had to find a new home for one of my dogs... it was a decision I did not make lightly... but I do know that dog was adopted...
I have had dogs all my life.. I don't think I could live without a dog... but rescuing a homeless animal will never happen for me because I gave up a dog... and how is murdering a dog in a horrific way better than giving someone a human a second chance???

Trying to catch the week!!!!

Girrrrrrrrrrrllllllllllllllll.. these are some JENKY pictures I'm putting up today... I have been trying like a demon to get this blog going all week.. I have so much to report... but this week... ok.. as you can see by my glasses I lost yet another contact... and in the year 2014 you would think I could get a new one in less than 7 days.. but alas no.. so that started out the week... then I got to go to this really (insert sarcasm here) greaaaaaaaaaaaat teacher inservice on success criteria and interactive feedback... making me  sit in a metal folding chair for 8 hours!!! It is inhuman to make people sit in a metal chair for 8 hours!!!! When I come back to school, my puppies were out of it!!! These are high kids and they have energy to burn... so you gotta be on your toes.....

Sooooooo... heres what I wanted to tell you:

1. I saw "Gone Girl".. LOVED IT!!! and yes I did read the book and the movie does it justice... recommended viewing.. even hubs liked it!

2. I watched that show I told you about "The Affair"... OMG!!! what a great show!!! even better than I anticipated.. the premier is this Sunday but episode 1 is on deamand right now... if you need some weekend fun, check it out!!! 

3. These shoes... I have now bought 3 pairs of these slip on sneakers... they are all over the blogs... I got a pair in black, cheetah, and black cushioned..very versatile....

I aplogize profusely for the lack of posts... life is getting in the way!!!!

TV review

ok... so I finished the series on Amazon, "Transparent" with Jeffery Tambor...  and a bunch of other people I'm sure you've seen around... ok.. I LOVE Jeffery Tambor.. loved him in "The Larry Sanders Show", loved him "Arrested Development", loved him in "The Hangover"... love him... so he plays a man who discovered he was into dressing as a woman while he was married to Judith Light (in a horrible horrible wig) so now he wants to be a woman full time.. that premise is a good one.. but there are some problems with this show...

the writer of this show also wrote "Six Feet Under" which had similar problems... most of which are gross overexaggerations of personalities.  

first problem.. the focus should be on the Jeffery Tambor character "Maura"  and his/her journey into transgender... but for some reason, the rest of the family is really focused on... 

Oldest daughter who is married and has two kids is in a sexless, unhappy marriage.. bumps into old lesbian girlfriend at a playdate.. immediately leaves her husband, is now engaged to old girlfriend... huh??? This was a rushed story, and the oldest daughter really comes across as a heartless mother who leaves her kids and is now onto a new relationship in 4.5 seconds...

Next problem.. Judith Light, who I really do like, she plays alot of judges... she is cast as kind of super JEWISH MOTHER.. all Jewish stereotypes present and accounted for!!! Not that that in itself is bad, but why age Judith Light like this??? 

I have to say watch the show and give it a chance... it was ok... not great... but Jeffery Tambor definitely makes the show... he plays this man trying to become a woman.. and in that he doesnt' tell people the truth about how he feels.. but what he thinks they want to hear.. but he is so sweet and so non judgemental.. I strive to be like that!! One day.... 

What I Wore Wednesday...

Good Morning Lovelies!!!! Today is of course Wednesday and that means linkup with Lindsey over at thepleatedpoppy.com and Sarah over at tuckerup.blogspot.com...I can honestly say NOTHING I have on is from Groopdealz... small successes people!!! The  dress I got at Goodwill for 6.99... its originally from the Gap.. super comfortable... the boots I got at DSW.. they were originally 99,00 but with 80% off... so thats practically free!!!! 

Have a wonderful Wednesday today!!!!