Still snowing in Missouri!

******All this snow sure makes it hard for this old girl to get around!  ** I have to watch for her to come back to the porch so I can help her up.  She doesn't have enough "push" to do it herself.  ****

If I had a week off

Today I was talking with one of our high school students that works at the animal hospital and we were discussing how nice it would be to have a whole week off to ourselves.  (She is out of school for a week but working)  I started day dreaming of having a week off, with nothing planned and what I might do with that time....

So in no certain order here is my list:
If I had a week off I would:

• Visit distant family
• Visit distant friends
• Spend more time with my mom(s) and dad(s)
• Spend more time with my kids
• Play with Valentine more
• Eat less
• Exercise more
• Make something for myself
• Write a letter
• Make cookies
• Clean my house
• Clean out my car
• See my grandson
• Read my bible every day
• Shop on-line
• Shop off-line
• Give Valentine a bath
• Organize my kitchen cabinets
• Go to a museum
• Read
• Go swimming
• Build a snowman
• Take pictures
• Sleep in!
• Catch up on my favorite blogs
• Go to lunch with a friend or friends
• Visit the cemetery
• Go to an auction
• and I would say "spend time with my husband" but then none of the above would happen!  (Maybe I could squeeze some time in for him, he is a honey)

Okay, maybe a week is alittle unrealistic. But it's fun to think about it!  You should try it and see what you come up with.

ahhh, the weight of Christmas....

The holidays are almost over and it will soon be time to start dieting.  I put Valentine on a diet right before Christmas and she has already lost 3 pounds!  Don't you just hate women that can drop the weight that fast!?!  :)  Here she is standing guard over the Oreo cookies.  She can't hear and doesn't see as well but her sense of smell is 100%.

It's been a fun few days and now it's back to work for a few more.  Good news? There is an auction on Friday the 1st!  Yeah!  What a way to start off the New Year!  I'm looking for a decorative old chair that I can use in photography.  I had one once but the auction got all messed up and it ended up going to another person.  Wish me luck!  You all have a wonderful week. 

Blizzard hit Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!  We have a ton of snow & it's still coming!  Most of our holiday plans had to be cancelled.  My oldest son came over early yesterday afternoon right as the storm was rolling in so we got to spend Christmas Eve with him.  He has to work this morning so we are trying to dig out a vehicle. 

I got the nicest card from him last night.  He wrote, "I know you worry about me, but I'll be fine.  I Love You so much and am blessed to have you as a mother. Love, Cory."  It made me tear up.  I wish I didn't have to worry about him but I do.  I hope in 2010 he can find LOVE as I really believe that is what he really wants and misses. 

Merry Christmas to you all!  Be safe in your travels and may many blessings come your way. 

Christmas wishes

Awww.  Christmas is drawing near.  There is still baking to be done, shopping and gifts to wrap and cards to fill out.  This is not Christmas related but I really like it so thought I'd share it with all my dog loving bloggers.
It's called God and Dog. Enjoy,  and if I don't get another chance to blog before the Holidays, I wish you all many blessings this Christmas season!

2nd thoughts

Okay, I'm already having 2nd thoughts on this cookbook project.  I had made 2 batches of dough on Sunday just to press and give as Christmas gifts and they were the worst cookies ever.  For one, they stuck and stuck and stuck!  I was ready to toss the press across the room.!!! And two, they don't taste the greatest. 
just venting!  just venting!  Today's another day, and there will be nothing about cookies in it. 

A Valentine update for you.  She went to see her special Dr. Perkins that does the acupuncture and chiropractic work and Dr. P says that her heart already sounds like it's a grade 2 on one side and 3-4 on the other so her medicine is already helping.  She also suggested that I get beef heart at the store and boil it and then cut it up really fine and give her 2 TBSP a day of that.  YUK!  Suppose to be good for her heart!  Gross, but if it will help her heart, I guess I'll have that nastiness in my kitchen.  ewwww. 

Lastly, where is the dang spell check on this new blog format??? Anyone know?  I desperately need it! 

The French Cookie Cookbook Project

I've decided to take on a goal this coming year to create a cookbook. 

C·R·A·Z·Y            maybe..........

My grandma always made these delicious cookies and a few years ago my sister and I started making them at Christmas time to give as gifts.  We got inspired and started playing with the recipe.  We have learned to create several different flavors.  There really is nothing like them so I thought I would try to share with the world.  My Grandma would of really liked that.

Of course a cookbook will require baking and photos and organization and then the random dream of getting published.  Squeeze all that into a year?  I guess we will see.  I will keep you all posted on my endeavors.  Valentine has agreed to do all the sampling and clean up....lucky me :)

New Charm

my first attempt at etching (on the small brass charm dangling from the photo charm)
I did the wire work & the bead work too. Looks somewhat primitive but that is how most of my work turns out.

Gifts under the Tree.

Valentine's blood work all came back great! She will start her heart medication today. Yeah for that!

Today is my Christmas outing with my girlfriends. We laugh, LOTS, we eat (usually ALOT of that too!) and we shop. We also exchange gifts every year. I love that. I know Christmas is not about the gifts we receive, and I LOVE to give! In fact, I"m disappointed with my family that they all want to nix presents. I don't care if they don't or can't do gifts but I hate it that they are demanding that the rest of us not get them anything. I figure I'm only in my 40's and they are in their 60's-70's and just now not wanting to give gifts. I still have a good 20+ years left! Guess I'll be adopting some needy families or something! My tree will be barren of gifts after today. *sad* Guess that will leave more room for the cats and dog to lay around under there....they do seem to love that.

Pondering thoughts

I was reading a piece in our local newspaper and they had a picture of this old scarf right beside another scarf similar to it that read Missouri. I guess in the movie Julia and Julia (which I have not seen yet) there are these framed scarfs from the different states above a bed. Seems people liked the look and are going crazy over these collectible scarfs. Well, I just happen to have this one given to me by my Uncle Jim a few years back. It was his mom's, my grandma's. I guess now the Kansas one is worth $48. It's priceless to me but it does make me wonder where they come up with the worth of collectible items. $48? Why not $45 or $50? odd. As pretty as it is, I'm sure if I would of found it at a garage sale I would of had trouble rationalizing paying anything more than a quarter for it. Maybe a dollar at auction.

This is my old girl Val. We had a snowy day today and COLD! I took her to work with me since it was going to be hard to go back home and let her out on my lunch hour. Don't let the picture fool you. She LOVES going to work with me!! She just hates waiting in the kennel and would rather follow me around all day and beg everyone she meets for food. I asked her doctor to do a physical on her since she was there (since we were all there) for the day anyway. She just had one in September by the way. She has not been acting sick or different or anything. I work at the vet and employees get free physical exams on 4 pets, which is very nice, especially since I have 3 geriatric pets, so I try to make the most of that benefit! Valentine has had a mild heart murmur for about 4 years now. Barely audible. A 1/6. Guess what? Today, it was a lot worse. A 4/6 with 6 being BAD, like die anytime, BAD. We x-rayed her heart and it is enlarged but not bad. She also has high blood pressure. We drew blood and sent it out to the lab. Her blood work has always been perfect so I hope it is that way tomorrow when I find out. She will however be adding a heart medication to her daily pill regime. boo-whooooo. Makes me sad. She will be 17 in January and she is my little darling. I know they can't live forever. I just don't want her to get sick. She is happy like a puppy now and always has been.

This is her when we got there today. Notice the snow by the door. It is so cold here today!

Tonight, at work,I answered a phone call from a man named Charlie. He said he had a strange question and asked if we had any cat food we would be getting rid of, or any samples. He said he loved his cat but just couldn't afford to buy him any food right now. I put him on hold, knowing we didn't have any actual bags of food for free. I decided just to buy one and let him pick it up. I get on the phone and say, "sure, can you get here before 7pm because that is when we are closed?" Then he asks me just to leave it outside. It's 9° outside. He would be walking several miles to get it and wouldn't make it before we closed. His house had burnt down and he was staying in a local motel and had no transportation. I told him I would deliver it to the lobby of the motel so he wouldn't have to walk in the cold. I rounded up a bag of food plus several bags of cat treats that were donated to us. I couldn't help but wonder as I'm getting all this together if Charlie would be eating any of it himself. I also couldn't help but wonder if it was all legit. Was I getting into a con? Would I be mugged, car jacked or worse. It's a shame we live in a world where it's so hard to do something nice for someone. You have to fear for your own safety because there are people that will prey on your generosity and compassion. I prayed on the way to meet him that God would put a hedge of protection around me and "please God, don't let Charlie be a serial killer". I found Charlie waiting for me beside the lobby door. He was very kind and said if I seen his cat I would understand and his cats name was Frogger. He thanked me multiple times and I couldn't help but tear up as I got back into my car and looked at my beautiful warm dog with her tummy always full. How blessed I am, how lucky I've been. My prayer should of been for Charlie and his family all the way there! If your reading this, please pray for their situation and may God direct other strangers into their lives.

Future Calvin Klein Model

Watching for Santa

I did a photo shoot with Grandson Colton on what has become known as "Fussy Friday". He looks just dreamy here....too bad the whole day was not spent with this look :P In his defense, he has a pretty good sized hernia that will require surgery in January. Please send the cute little guy your prayers. Thanks!

Old Christmas Postcard

this postcard will turn 100 on Dec. 22nd. I have a couple from 1908 and a few from 1910, & 1911. they are but one of my little treasures.

What a simple letter would mean....

My good friend's mother Peggy passed away early Saturday morning. Her visitation was last night and my husband and I went. Among some of her framed photos was a framed letter she received from her daughter in law years ago.

The letter was written from the heart. She really went into detail about how much she really liked Peggy. She talked about how Peggy made her feel and how much she appreciated how Peggy made her daughter (Peggy's grandchild)feel. She talked about how she appreciated raising her son to be such a great husband. She talked about how much of a joy Peggy was to be around and how she always wore a smile. She wrote that she believed they would of been friends even if they would of met under different circumstances and she wasn't part of the family. She thanked Peggy from her heart and soul and poured her love out to her on this page, this letter, just because she wanted Peggy to know she liked her. She liked being with her, talking to her, doing stuff with her, being part of her family. She liked her spirit and she loved her like a daughter could love her own mother.

Peggy thought so much of this letter written so many years ago, that she framed it and hung it on the wall so she could read it often. What a treasure! This Christmas season what a wonderful gift this would make for someone you love...a simple letter to let them know you LIKE them and why. Roll it into a scroll and tie it with a pretty ribbon if you want to dress it up a bit. I believe her daughter in law is really happy that she took the time to say back then how great Peggy was and how much she meant to her, especially now that Peggy is in heaven.

If you want to read an awesome love story between husband and wife and a family devoted to God then go to http://www.caringbridge.org/. Hit Visit and type in peggywillis. Start at the beginning and read to the end her family's journey thru her illness. You will be amazed and it will open your heart! This woman lived a joyous, happy life and I wish that on anyone reading this today. May we all be so blessed.

Love of the tree

Valentine models under the tree, hoping I won't tell you her embarrassing story about the time she pooped under our Christmas tree.

She can't hear anyway so I'll tell you! It was the first year we ever put up a real tree. She must of been about 5 years old. I guess she thought it was pretty great that we were bringing the outdoors in because she just pooped right under our great smelling pine tree! She didn't even get that embarrassed "pooping face" most dogs get when they go. The living room was crowded with the whole family and I don't even think we were even through decorating the tree when she just took the position and let it rip. That was before I was really into photography, and a few years before digital, or I may have taken a picture as evidence. As it was, I couldn't get it cleaned up fast enough! That is the 1st and only time my little gal has ever went #2 in the house!! Knock on wood! It's also the only time we ever had a real tree for Christmas! After she pooped under it, our cats knocked it over on 2 different dates, spilling the water all over the carpet. It's been artificial ever since. Sorry Santa....the pets have been BAD!