IT'S A GIRL!!!

Yesterday we received a wonderful new addition to our family.  She is a very sweet, very mellow 3 month old Labrottie.  We rescued her from death on the very day it was to be dealt to her.  We should have named her Lucky  or  Daylight, but we chose Gemma.
I am a bit tired this morning as I take her our every 2 hours for a pit stop. She is also being Kennel trained. This was her first night away from her sister as well .She was very vocal and it was heart breaking.  Don't feel too bad.  She needed a little time and she had the hang of it by midnight.  She's laying at my feet as I type.

B is in love.  She is very excited about our new pet and repeats every command I say to the.  She cleaned her room on Saturday after we watched a video about puppies.  "I don't want her to get sick or eat my toys mum," she says.  She lays and watches her sleep.  She keeps her water bowl filled.  I only hope she is this excited in a month.
Wusthof is less than thrilled.  He is being very grown up about and not taking it out on the puppy.  He does give us sideways stances and Halloween kitty poses however.  He keeps yelling at me and walking over to the pup.  He sits just close enough to watch her.  He gave the pup only one smack and it was when she put her noes right in his face and barked.  It was hard not to laugh, really.  He doesn't really care about the dog, he just does not want his stuff messed up.  He is the boss of us all.
We'll be busy this week with lots of puppy stuff.  Send notes for any suggestions.  I've read a couple of books since Friday night when we knew she was coming to us.  There is no such thing as too much information.

Enjoy the pictures:

Thank you for reading.


J

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess

My favorite story by a great and funny author. . . 

For B's school we made these fun cakes:

I used Megacafty for the toppers. Very cute indeed.

Here are mine. . . almost as pretty.  You can see the drippy first one bled a bit.  So, I used a little corn syrup in the red dye to get it to stay put better.

 Strange colored sweet frosting, sweet cake and marshmallows.  The kid happiness trinity.    In an unrelated story B came home complaining of a headache.  

Hmmmm. . .

Thanx for reading. . .

J

Hail Champis!

Check out lil' Champis kickn' butt and taken' names.  Puts Babe to shame.  

At the beginning of the year J and I decided we have not been spending enough time together.  He comes home  and hits the internet and works late and I entertain B. I get boring(she says).  I am full of rules (she says).  I have multiple tasks to get accomplished while the aforementioned entertaining is going on. As you can imagine that is not very fun.  Dad is fun and not boring(she says).  Dad brings a different dimension to the evening and things always run smoother with him around.  So we have set time one day a week to play games and hang out.  It has been great. We usually try to play a game (Sorry is a favorite and so is War. ). This has actually started carrying over to other days in the week too. We always read at bedtime but usually it involves one of us reading to B in her bed or her reading to one of us. Lately we have been reading as a family in the evenings. We just finished Roald Dahls BFG , a book neither B or J had read before. We each took turns reading a chapter.  Each one of us read the story with our own impression of each character to include voices and hand gestures.  We have come to really look forward to the time. Even the cat sits and listens.  

Our new book is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Jester.  

Thanks for reading,

Wild world...

So I have not posted a good hearty post in quite a while.
But today I will.  We are through the major holidays and have the year to recoup save for some birthdays and what-nots.
Lets start with knitting.  Last year at this time I was living further north and had decided I wanted to learn how to knit.  Which I did.  Rocky at first, yes, but it is now something I look forward to doing.   I made a few blankets but was struggling with edge work and finishing.  Well...I learned how to crochet edges and borders!!! ta-dah!

Now this may not seem like that great a thing but let me tell you it is! It is.  The best part of all is my Nanna showed me one day.  She crochets like crazy.  I picked it up after a couple of tries.  I like knitting more but this skill helps.

My future dreams in knitting involve socks and cable knits (picture big fluffy blankets to snuggle with or sweaters to give) sigh.

Le Souk at soukshop.com

I mentioned in earlier posts that I have a sewing machine and have learned how to use it.  Very excited about this new skill too.  I am currently searching for the right fabric to make curtains for several of our rooms.  Love it.  I am working up to being able to make cool stuff like this cushion from Living with Punks. Ah dare to dream.

I am hoping to turn these new skills into cheaper home decor projects.  So far I have redone two tables, two bedside tables, B's toy box, a book shelf and a lamp.  I have also turned coasters, stickers and a deck of cards in to art work.  Easy-peasy-lemon-squeazy. Decorating  on a minimal budget.  Still have yet to paint and we've been here 8 months now....

Felted Coasters...

Deck of cards...

Puffy stickers... by B of course

Things I love...

~ French Onion Soup ~


I realize this is....um shall we say a "classic" dish.  I only just learned how to make it however, and think it is my  new favorite soup.  Traditionally it is made with a beef stock but I have altered it for a vegetarian who likes cheese.  It is so fragrant and tasty.  I topped it with homemade crutes and gruyere cheese.  I have made it several times this month at B's request.  We snuggle up and watch the Simpsons.  Makes for a great night.

I know these are a bit long but they are worth it.  She goes over every detail.  Get your self a good knife and some onions. . .

Here is ours. . . Bon appetit!

~ Blue Skies ~
Nothing says "Good Day!" like a bright blue sky.  I love the color.  It compliments the world with out being loud and obnoxious. It gets my endorphin's going and makes me want to play outside.  Bright, happy, comforting.  Love the big blue sky. . .

Thank you for reading. . .

J

Just so you know...

Google wants you to have a seamless internet experience...

Just beware of who is watching.

J

Another year older and what do you get?

It is Monday and a new week.  I went back to the gym after a couple weeks hiatus and feel great for doing so. Do not get me wrong, I love to eat with blatant disregard of calories.  My husband has a saying " All that stuff you eat in private shows in public..." He's full of nuggets like that.  I like going to the gym.  I have decided I like going not just for the obvious physical reasons but for the camaraderie of fellow moms.  We are all there sans our  little ones, at least for 1 hour, and we get to kick the crap out of bag or a self defense dummy.  It is cathartic. We laugh, we push each other, we listen, we empathize, we race, we cheer each other on,  and we share information all between reps, laps and drills.  It's a hen house and it rejuvenates me.  I need gym  for my mental well being as well as my physical. 

I found these videos inspiring...

Then there are these...

What more can I say after this...

Thank you for reading.

J