So I have been absent again for a while now... what is up??? Well our months of January & February have been filled to the brim with this cold and that cold.... Strep throat, croup, fevers, tummy aches, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, phlegm galore! Nothing super serious, just the obnoxious winter aliments that seem to plague one family member after the next and back again. So I feel like I have had a good excuse to take a leave of absence. Thankfully, we are all feeling great, I better get blogging :) I have some catching up to do!
Even though everyone here at the Zito house has felt like this...
It doesn't stop us from one project or two :)
So we have been having a smelly, pesty, poo problem over here at the Zito's. And NO, it is not the tummy aches causing the trouble ;) You see, our front yard has recently been transformed into the neighborhood cat litter box...
By these furry critters, some call pets. My problem is with the multiple Stray cats and people's "pets" that they let roam free has marked my front yard as their personal toilet. I have NOT been happy about this problem at all. I have been wanting to catch these little poop bandits red handed, but they are sneaky little stinks!!!
I don't have pets for this reason. I don't want to clean up after them. I am allergic to cats too. so there! ;) I don't mind cats from a distance. If you want them as a pet, GREAT!!! just keep your pet at YOUR house and not crapping in my yard :) ~ SMILES ~
Every morning I wake up to a fresh pile of poo right here by the front door of my home. Trust me it STINKS!!!!
I've looked online for homemade cat deterrents... i have used and entire bottle of vinegar, cayenne pepper, orange peels... and everyday I am left a little "present"!!!
AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I want to pull my hair out. I am seriously having dreams while I sleep about these stinking stray cats. I toss and turn. I hate the horrid smell and the mess I get to clean up! This has got to stop!
This is what I think the neighborhood cats think of all my cat deterrent home remedies!!!
Alright Mr. Smelly Poo.... THIS IS WAR!!!!!
I picked up this Critter Ridder powder at my local home depot and....
I picked up his POO for the LAST TIME!!!!
I am pulling out the BIG GUNS NOW!!!! 8 ton of rock has been delivered to my house and I plan to cover your stinky poop hole with 4-5 inches of rock.... That'll teach ya :)
All I need is a trusty wheel barrow, a good solid shovel, a fresh pair of hands & my Studly Hubby Lenny to GET er' DONE!!
I like to call it TEAM WORK! :)
Not to mention, the rock in our yard has dwindled down to mere thin blanket barely covering our precious dirt floor that the cats have adopted as their personal pooping grounds. We have lived in our home for 10 years.... (wow happy anniversary to us ;) and all the years of yard work, we have pretty much tossed handfuls of rock with every yard cleaning. It was time to get our yard looking crisp and clean. The Pesty Poo problem is just the motivation I need to finally fork out the dough on more rock to beautify our landscaping.
8 TON of Rock is a 8 TONS of rock = Countless wheelbarrow trips! Made for a super good workout for Leonard and I. He shoveled the rock and dropped me piles of rock in the yard. I raked them into place. HOLY AB workout! :) my arms and hands were blasted. But it was worth all the sweat and pain...because guess who I scared away???
OH YEAH!!!! Eat that you stinky, sneaky, dander ridden, paw lickin, MR. CAT YOU!!!
HA!!! Not only did I smother your pooping grounds, our yard looks AMAZING!!!
oooh, aaah!!! so crisp and clean :)
The Old Poop Pit.... Now 4-5 inches thick of Desert Brown 1" screened rock :)
Come on you can OOOH and AAAAH if you want to :)
The backyard even got some loving TLC too! I feel like we moved to a new home :) Gotta love home improvement projects and winning the WAR over pesty neighborhood cats! YESSSS!!!!
~ FEELING THE LOVE ~
My last Post was my Valentines Home decor post!
We were ready for the LOVERS Holiday :)
My sweet Lover surprised me with a yummy delicious valentine treat! Not 1 dozen of Chocolate covered strawberries, but 2 dozen Chocolate Covered Strawberries!!! Talk about Spoiled with a capital S! :)
I was so glad to have so many yummies... so i could gladly share with all the Loves in my life, namely... Leonard, Kaitlyn, Carly & Blake. Thank you Leonard! I love you so much! You are my everything :)
~ Treats for my Sweets ~
I love my little Valentines and I am so blessed to have 3 awesome kids!
I made these sweets to celebrate our LOVE day and to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our great state of Arizona! She turned 99 this year! She's looking good ;)
Oh, I had to share this sweet little munchkin that is the most recent addition to the family.
Meet Rook James Zaccardi
Born Jan 18, 2011
This handsome guy belongs to my sweet sister Celeste and her hubby Matt.
It has been quite the rocky journey for Rook's mom and dad to get him here.
Rook's daddy Matt was in that serious, near fatal dirt bike accident back in september 2010. Celeste was 5 months pregnant with this little guy. Matt was in the ICU for 22 days with a serious brain injury and a badly broken leg. then in the neuro rehab hospital for 9 days. He has had extensive physical therapy. While he was in the hospital they closed on a new home and life was very crazy and stressful. Thank heavens for Priesthood blessing and the power of fasting and prayers, because Matt is doing remarkably well. It is truly a miracle! Matt is walking again and back to work. In fact, the week he was "allowed" to walk was the same week the baby was born. Wow, what a blessing!
Van is the big brother and he loves little baby Rook! We are so happy to have our Zaccardi family close by. They are a blessing in our life! We LOVE You Guys! Congrats!
I HEART my PARKA!!!!
This is a very random blog post isn't it??? Well, speaking of LOVES.... I did get my Swim Parka right before Christmas. I really started putting it to good use in between illnesses in January as I braved the FREEZING early morning temperatures to head to the pool and swim with my my narwhals.... a.k.a. Mesa Masters Swim Team :)
Doesn't it look so Warm??? well it is and when I get home from the pool I have a hard time taking it off. It is so cozy and comfy and warms my chilled bones :)
My favorite part of my fancy parka, Is my NAME embossed on the front! I feel special wearing it :) I can't lie!
I can't believe I have almost been swimming with Masters for a year, this spring break. WOW!!! Time flies! I think I am a better swimmer by now. I am ashamed to say I did take off a month as I prepared for my 150 mile bike ride, (looking back, that was a mistake!) and then I was injured on that blasted ride which kept me from the pool for at least 2 months or so :(
It made me very sad. I feel like I lost all my momentum. I was started to forget my love of the water and glide of my freestyle. The longer I stayed away... the easier it got to forget and then I turned into a chicken when I was cleared to head back to the pool. I finally mustered up the courage last month and started going again, a pretty regular 4-5 days a week. It was scary, it was hard and I was SLOW!!! I felt like I had to re-learn to swim. I have had some discouraging days... but I am just trying to get back into the habit again. " Just keeping swimming" as Dori on Finding Nemo says ;) There is a National Swim Meet in the end of April. It will be hosted at my pool, Kino and I am tinkering with the idea of competing... but then I get really scared and I feel sick thinking about signing up... I am not that fast!? I don't want to come in last??? I am still trying to find the Old Loree. " Just keep swimming" is the only thing that is keeping me going! I know I will get back up to speed. Just give it some time :) And I am more than happy to wear my fancy schmancy Parka all day long to remind me of that goal... just keep swimming :)
My other goal is to get back out on the running trails. I wore out my old running shoes and I just got me a fresh pair last week. I never thought I would miss running... well it is more like slow jogging :) and I miss it. Especially noticing how all my clothes are tightening up during my 2 month exercise break. boo hiss! I actually haven't run since july.... way to long.... note to self.... don't take that long of a break ever again if you can help it!
I plan to get these bad boys all dirty and dusty and hopefully I will wear out the soles too! Wish me luck!
Motivation only comes when you move... the more you get moving the more motivated you become!
I wish motivation came easily and first... but it isn't until i really get moving that I feel motivated. Does that make sense?
Talk about Motivation...
My Lenny is a STUD!!! A crazy one some may think... He is my inspiration. He is doing a ultra-distance cycling event. They call it a brevet... (pronounced bree - vay) it is 4 races in the event and he has already accomplished 2 of these crazy rides. The first one was 200k or 125 miles in one ride. 2nd race was a 300k or 190 miles in one sitting and this weekend he is setting out to conquer the 400k race which is 257 miles in one sitting. Can u believe it? My sit bones just ache thinking about that amount of sitting in the saddle. He is estimating it will take about 22 hours of riding straight. He is hoping to shaving a hour or 2 off that estimate. He is riding with a good cycling buddy... one who i have previously referred to as " our Bike Guru, Mike" I still think he holds that awesome title :) anyhow, The last race in this series is a 600k or 380 mile journey... riding your bike the entire time!.... although, this ride there is a sleep stop. so that is good. This fun ride will be in the middle of March. If you'd like to read all about the nitty gritty details and stats, check out Leonard's blog here!
I have been on my bike several times this year... it has been bothersome to my arms/hands. (stinking nerve damage - i don't like you!) although, I did just get another bike fit adjustment and I took it out for a spin yesterday and I am hopeful that I too will be back on the bike like the good ol' days!
Man oh man, another LOOONG blog post from me! Thanks for reading or browsing, and then going back when you have time, or are bored and want to read this long post ;) hee hee hee!
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