Sunday, December 29, 2019
Friday, December 27, 2019
Friday Favorites: Max
Just over a year ago when we lost our sweet Oscar dog to canine lymphoma, my heart was so broken - I couldn't imagine ever having another dog. Ever. But as we know, time heals all things. Which explains why I recently, I found myself missing - even craving - the sort of companionship he offered while I worked from home by myself.
Although I still wasn't convinced that I was ready for a new furry friend, I would frequently find myself drawn to the websites for the local shelters. I sent a few pictures to the Man of the House. I guess I was dropping hints, but I didn't want to admit it at the time. And he was picking up those hints. He had actually stopped by the local shelter.
Fast forward to last Friday evening, when he started showing me some postings for puppies he had found on Craig's List. Almost before I knew what was happening, a couple of quick emails were sent and we had arranged to go see some dachshund puppies the next morning.
Long story, short (well - still kind of long, but shorter than it could have been) - that's how this little guy came to be part of our family!
His name is Max. He's a smooth-haired dachshund. And I'm pretty much completely head over heels for him already. How could I not be? I mean - look at him!
Although I received several nice things for Christmas - he is by far my favorite gift!
via GIPHY
Although I still wasn't convinced that I was ready for a new furry friend, I would frequently find myself drawn to the websites for the local shelters. I sent a few pictures to the Man of the House. I guess I was dropping hints, but I didn't want to admit it at the time. And he was picking up those hints. He had actually stopped by the local shelter.
Fast forward to last Friday evening, when he started showing me some postings for puppies he had found on Craig's List. Almost before I knew what was happening, a couple of quick emails were sent and we had arranged to go see some dachshund puppies the next morning.
Long story, short (well - still kind of long, but shorter than it could have been) - that's how this little guy came to be part of our family!
His name is Max. He's a smooth-haired dachshund. And I'm pretty much completely head over heels for him already. How could I not be? I mean - look at him!
Isn't he just the cutest? He only weighs about 3 pounds and he's so teeny tiny!
Although I received several nice things for Christmas - he is by far my favorite gift!
via GIPHY
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Joyful Gratitude: December 26
I Am Thankful For:
Cute little dogs with big ears
Helping a stranger
Baking supplies
Fruit salad
Playing with the cat
A warm house on a cold night morning
Last minute Etsy orders
Cinnamon spice pecans
School Christmas parties
Fresh haircut
A new puppy
Surf & Turf dinner
Puppy barks
Baking cookies
Helping a stranger
Baking supplies
Fruit salad
Playing with the cat
A warm house on a cold night morning
Last minute Etsy orders
Cinnamon spice pecans
School Christmas parties
Fresh haircut
A new puppy
Surf & Turf dinner
Puppy barks
Baking cookies
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Joyful Gratitude: December 19
I Am Thankful For:
Monday mornings
Pants that are too big
Cute gift card holders
Candy canes
Packages on the front porch
Sunshine
Ice on the back porch
Yogurt with berries
Clear blue skies
Cute puppies on the internet
Waking up from a strange dream
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Christmas shopping done
Watching The Grinch
Grand kid sleepover
Hearing "Good morning, Oma!"
Sparkly fingernails
Pants that are too big
Cute gift card holders
Candy canes
Packages on the front porch
Sunshine
Ice on the back porch
Yogurt with berries
Clear blue skies
Cute puppies on the internet
Waking up from a strange dream
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Christmas shopping done
Watching The Grinch
Grand kid sleepover
Hearing "Good morning, Oma!"
Sparkly fingernails
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Joyful Gratitude: December 12
I Am Thankful For:
A beautiful day despite the cold
Snow on the mountain tops
Lights on the Christmas tree
Wind rushing through the trees
Decorating for Christmas
That very first sip of morning coffee
Good reports from Dad's doctors
The TV accidently activating Alexa
Working on Orders
Staying on track
Sunrise
Lunch with Mom
Christmas shopping with The Man of the House
Talking to Grand Kid on the phone
Cheese
Homemade turkey noodle soup
God's grace
Nasal spray
Monday, December 9, 2019
Out of Sorts
Over the past few weeks I am feeling as if I have my act together in no way whatsoever. It almost seems like the more I try to get it together - the more out of sorts I become. I'm just wandering through.
I'm still setting goals and making my To Do lists. But they are vague and meandering. Disorganized. There isn't a good focus to them. I keep getting distracted, which leads to not accomplishing tasks in the time I have allotted to them. Then I try to catch up, putting me behind on the next thing.
I am hoping this week is the one that turns all that around! This week I am focusing on sticking to my schedule and reducing distractions.
My goals this week are:
I'm still setting goals and making my To Do lists. But they are vague and meandering. Disorganized. There isn't a good focus to them. I keep getting distracted, which leads to not accomplishing tasks in the time I have allotted to them. Then I try to catch up, putting me behind on the next thing.
I am hoping this week is the one that turns all that around! This week I am focusing on sticking to my schedule and reducing distractions.
My goals this week are:
- Lose 1.5 pounds
- Wrap Christmas presents
- Ship 3 orders
- Create Sunday Inspiration blog posts for January
What are your goals for the week?
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Friday, December 6, 2019
Time to Smell The Roses
Certain scents seem to have a specific age to me.
Obviously there is the delicious smell of babies - baby wash, powder, and the undefinable sweetness that is infant.
Love's Baby Soft was the scent of my youth. Does anyone else remember that? Do they still make it? Still a powdery scent, but with more floral notes. I couldn't get enough of it during my middle school years. I pity anyone who had to spend time around me if they didn't care for that fragrance. There was no escaping it!
My college days will always smell like Sand and Sable. Which also smelled like the beach.
Like so many others, sometime in the late 90s discovered Bath and Body Works where I was a Moonlight Path wearer for several years.
The scent of roses always seemed suited to an older woman. I don't know why. Maybe when I was young I knew an older woman that worse rose perfume. Or perhaps someone told me that, or I read it somewhere. What ever caused it, I didn't wear scents that were especially floral - particularly rose - for years.
Until recently...
Now I can't seem to get enough of it! I think it started with my rose water and witch hazel face toner. Then I found the minted rose lip balm. And now I am loving anything with a soft rose scent.
Of course, I refuse to acknowledge that now that just as I reach a stage of life where I enjoy wearing rose scents I might, in fact, be an "older woman".
Obviously there is the delicious smell of babies - baby wash, powder, and the undefinable sweetness that is infant.
Love's Baby Soft was the scent of my youth. Does anyone else remember that? Do they still make it? Still a powdery scent, but with more floral notes. I couldn't get enough of it during my middle school years. I pity anyone who had to spend time around me if they didn't care for that fragrance. There was no escaping it!
My college days will always smell like Sand and Sable. Which also smelled like the beach.
Like so many others, sometime in the late 90s discovered Bath and Body Works where I was a Moonlight Path wearer for several years.
The scent of roses always seemed suited to an older woman. I don't know why. Maybe when I was young I knew an older woman that worse rose perfume. Or perhaps someone told me that, or I read it somewhere. What ever caused it, I didn't wear scents that were especially floral - particularly rose - for years.
Until recently...
Now I can't seem to get enough of it! I think it started with my rose water and witch hazel face toner. Then I found the minted rose lip balm. And now I am loving anything with a soft rose scent.
Of course, I refuse to acknowledge that now that just as I reach a stage of life where I enjoy wearing rose scents I might, in fact, be an "older woman".
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Joyful Gratitude: December 5
I Am Thankful For:
Morning birds
Errands completed
Planning Thanksgiving dinner
A doctor appointment going well
Walking a dog
Waking early
Thanksgiving prep
Watching a movie with the grand kid
Turkey in the oven
Burnt sweet potatoes
Leftover turkey sandwiches
Black Friday shopping with the Female Offspring
Pumpkin pie for breakfast
Napping away a cold
The Male Offspring making me laugh
Christmas decorations
Finding the perfect gift
Monday, December 2, 2019
Currently... December 2019
November was not the month I expected it to be as it began. Oh, sure - it started off normal enough. My 50th birthday was lovely. On the 13th, the Man of the House and I headed to Cleveland where we visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Christmas Story House and attended the Thursday night football game between the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Yes, that game. The one with the helmet incident. It was crazy!) After a fun trip and a very long drive home, we arrived safely at about 2am on Saturday.
Later that morning was when everything went topsy-turvy. I received a call that my father was being taken to the hospital with what appeared to be a heart attack. He required a heart cath, followed by a triple bypass surgery. It's all mostly a blur of long days and nights in hospital waiting areas and ICU rooms with my sisters and his girlfriend. Fortunately, he came through the surgery well and is back home. And while he has a long recovery period ahead of him - he's a stubborn guy with a determination to get back to his regular routines. That makes two of us!
Reading: I just finished The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The first of the five classics I plan to read this year. Now I am starting A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House.
Celebrating: Every step of my dad's recovery process! Along with Christmas, my sister's birthday and the upcoming new year.
Working On: A collaboration between my Etsy shop and my middle sister's shop! I'm not quite ready to share all the details yet, but it should be good for both businesses.
Wanting: To do some Christmas baking. I haven't done in any several years, but for some reason I find myself wanting to whip up some Christmas cookies this year.
Needing: At least two entire days worth of sleep. I didn't get a good night's sleep for about two weeks and I think I'm still paying for that. It's probably why I caught a nasty cold right after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, having a head full of sinus pressure doesn't help one get a restful sleep either.
Making: Lists and lists and lists. Christmas lists - lists of who I need to shop for, lists of what I have already bought. Grocery lists. Lists of what I want to bake. To do lists. Lists of my lists.
Wearing: A lot of dresses or tunics with leggings and boots. It's comfy, and, as I mentioned last month, a good option with where I am in my weight loss journey rather than having to buy new pants every couple of months.
Feeling: Extremely grateful and oh-so-very aware of how every single day is a gift.
Enjoying: Coffeemate Sugar Free Peppermint Mocha creamer in my morning coffee. All the peppermint mocha flavor I adore, especially at this time of year - with very few Weight Watchers points!
Anticipating: The holiday season. Especially cuddling up on the couch with a cup of tea or cocoa to watch all my favorite Christmas movies.
What is December bringing your way?
Later that morning was when everything went topsy-turvy. I received a call that my father was being taken to the hospital with what appeared to be a heart attack. He required a heart cath, followed by a triple bypass surgery. It's all mostly a blur of long days and nights in hospital waiting areas and ICU rooms with my sisters and his girlfriend. Fortunately, he came through the surgery well and is back home. And while he has a long recovery period ahead of him - he's a stubborn guy with a determination to get back to his regular routines. That makes two of us!
Reading: I just finished The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The first of the five classics I plan to read this year. Now I am starting A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House.
Celebrating: Every step of my dad's recovery process! Along with Christmas, my sister's birthday and the upcoming new year.
Working On: A collaboration between my Etsy shop and my middle sister's shop! I'm not quite ready to share all the details yet, but it should be good for both businesses.
Wanting: To do some Christmas baking. I haven't done in any several years, but for some reason I find myself wanting to whip up some Christmas cookies this year.
Needing: At least two entire days worth of sleep. I didn't get a good night's sleep for about two weeks and I think I'm still paying for that. It's probably why I caught a nasty cold right after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, having a head full of sinus pressure doesn't help one get a restful sleep either.
Making: Lists and lists and lists. Christmas lists - lists of who I need to shop for, lists of what I have already bought. Grocery lists. Lists of what I want to bake. To do lists. Lists of my lists.
Wearing: A lot of dresses or tunics with leggings and boots. It's comfy, and, as I mentioned last month, a good option with where I am in my weight loss journey rather than having to buy new pants every couple of months.
Feeling: Extremely grateful and oh-so-very aware of how every single day is a gift.
Enjoying: Coffeemate Sugar Free Peppermint Mocha creamer in my morning coffee. All the peppermint mocha flavor I adore, especially at this time of year - with very few Weight Watchers points!
Anticipating: The holiday season. Especially cuddling up on the couch with a cup of tea or cocoa to watch all my favorite Christmas movies.
What is December bringing your way?
Sunday, December 1, 2019
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