Short And Sweet

One thing people can say about me is that I have a zest for life, having fun, and LAUGHTER...lots of it!  Well, I think I rubbed off on my girls because while they were home this summer, they let loose!

One evening, Brittany came downstairs with the blanket from her room, went in front of the mirror and created this snazzy look. Makes me think of Chef Boyardee...

I plan to show this one at her wedding one day...

Of course, Abby couldn't resist giving it a try and came up with this headdress. She could not stop laughing!

Those girls had me on the floor rolling!

There were even a few times when Bella had to get in on the act. I think she was singing opera or something.

Point is...life's too short to not act silly and to have yourself a good ol' belly laugh from time-to-time!  I believe in making the very most of this journey I'm on...hope you do, too!

Now, go out and make it a GREAT weekend, my friends! On the agenda for me tomorrow...shopping for a homecoming dress for Abby! Wish us luck...and for me...plenty of PATIENCE! I have a feeling I'm going to need it!

Sickly...

A few days ago, Abby came home from school and fell fast asleep on the sofa, which isn't like her.  She complained about her throat hurting and her stomach feeling a little "off".

 

Well, she's been home for 2 days now and hasn't been feeling well, at all.  She's been running a fever and has been very lethargic. This morning when she got up, I took her temp. and she had a fever of 102.6...highest it's been yet. So, I've been giving her lots of fluids and Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours. I just can't stand it when my girls are sick. They may be 15 and 20, but I still think of them sometimes as being 3 years old. I don't like it when they're under-the-weather, but I sure do love taking care of them.

With all of this talk of sickness, I think Bella and Maddie have convinced themselves that they're sickly, too...      

What a pair, huh? Of course, Bella never passes on the opportunity to hop up on the sofa and snuggle with Abby. They're pretty tight, as you can see.

So, please say a prayer for my girl that she's on the mend soon...I would appreciate it so much! I will do my very best to pay y'all a visit sometime today, but my "nursing job" takes top priority. Have a wonderful day!

Impatiently Waiting

Chris came downstairs last night and proudly announced that he had placed an order for Bella's Valentine's Day gift.  I was in the middle of watching American Idol and didn't have time for his jibber jabber, but I just had to ask..."You did what?"   Let me explain here.  Bella has had a ball that she absolutely ADORES.  I'm talking the' lay down her life' kind of adoration! We, actually, got it out of a gumball machine at Old Navy...go figure!  Bless her little heart; she played with it all the time until it fell apart...and she was heartbroken.  So, Chris searched on Ebay to see if he could find a similar ball for her.  Needless to say, he got lucky and found the same ball for a very low price...so he ordered 8 of them!  Yep, you heard me...EIGHT!  Hey, a girl has to have a spare, you know...just in case tragedy strikes, again!

Here's the little princess herself checking out the picture of her ball(s) that's on it's way...due to arrive on Feb. 13th.

Hard as it may be, I can guarantee that the wait will be worth it in the end!  Bella's going to be one HAPPY lady!  Of course, all of this waiting really takes it's toll after awhile.

Now, if Chris forgets about me on Valentine's Day...well, let's just say there's plenty of room for him in the doghouse! ;)

Her Evil Twin Is BAAACK!

It happens every single Christmas.  Chris runs off to Wal-Mart and buys Bella and Maddie a couple of Busy Bones and one other special treat to wrap and put under our tree. It's their much-anticipated "Christmas surprise". So, last night, he and Abby zipped over to Wal-Mart and came home with treats in hand. 

Now, one thing that Chris does to get our dogs super-excited about Christmas is to show them what he brought home and allow them to have a taste of what's coming.  He, then, goes upstairs and wraps their treats and places them under the tree.  I'm telling you, it's serious business around here!

Chris is explaining to them how to act like LADIES when he gives them their treats.  We can't have any bad behavior going on, you know!

Well, our expectations are always set way too high when it comes to Maddie.  You see, when Chris places her wrapped treats under the tree...and she knows they're HERS...she sits and guards them all day and night. She even sacrifices napping in her favorite recliner to be able keep watch over her treats. If any of us takes one step into the sunroom, she lets out a low growl.  If that doesn't heed a big enough warning, she begins barking louder and LOUDER! 

See...she caught a glimpse of Chris out of the corner of her eye and she rose to her feet and let out her battle cry!  Now, you have to understand that this behavior is completely uncharacteristic for Maddie. She is as sweet as they come.  There isn't a mean bone in her body.

Well, that might be stretching it just a little...when it comes to Christmas and the goodness that awaits!

Centerfold Material

Guess the title of my post grabbed your attention, huh? I've written about our Shih Tzu, Bella, numerous times before.  She is such a sweetheart and adds so much love and fun to our family.  Well, she does something every time we sit down at the dinner table that I just have to share. I'm serious, she never misses a beat!  Shortly after we say our blessing and take our first bites of dinner, Bella grabs her favorite ball, flips over on her back, and proudly exposes her belly for everyone to see. It's as if she's saying, "Oh, yoohoo...look at me!" I'm convinced that the most well-known person in the world could be visiting and Bella wouldn't be phased in the slightest...she'd still "strike a pose"!

  
She holds this exact position until one of us gets up from our chair, grabs the ball, and throws it for her to chase after. Talk about milking the attention!  This girl has it all figured out!

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace."~ Milan Kundera

Sunday FUNday!

Yesterday was such a GORGEOUS day...not a cloud in the sky!  It was a little warmer than I'd like for this time of year, but you still get no complaints from me.  One thing we enjoy doing on pretty days is going for a ride in the country, so off we went!

Bella, of course, had to join us.  She loves sticking her head out the window and taking in all the "sniffs".

We drove over to a local Alpaca farm to see them up close.  They smelled like typical farm animals, but they were so cute!  I think Abby and I would have gladly taken a couple of them home with us.

Here's a face only a mother could love.

The fall colors are starting to become very vibrant.

When we got back home, Abby and I grabbed our cameras and headed out to our backyard to discover what other sights we could capture.

Lots and lots of acorns...

A bee busy at work...

A "colony" of toadstools...

"Watchdog Bella' who kept all the squirrels at bay.  What a girl!

And a gentle reminder that springtime, in all it's glory, will arrive, again, soon...

Sure hope your weekend was just as nice!  I'm off to visit as many of you as I can before I lose my computer priveleges. :)

Hey, Batter, Batter!

Hope y'all had a fun Memorial Day!  We enjoyed a nice relaxing day ourselves, then had a feast of BBQ ribs and corn-on-the-cob.  It really hit the spot!  Later on in the evening, we went to watch the minor league Braves play. We had great seats right off of 1st base and, thankfully, they were in the shade!  I can't think of anything that spells summertime FUN more than a game of baseball!

After the game ended, they had a spectacular fireworks show!  We all stood there and just took it all in!

We got home around a quarter till 11:00 PM, then the girls and I sat down to watch "The Bachelorette".  Are any of you tuning in?  I told myself I wouldn't watch one more episode, but I'm completely HOOKED!  The guy that wears the mask on his face needs to GO!  I'm sorry, but he leaves too many questions unanswered.  Mainly, I'd like to know what he's trying to hide.  Then, there's Bentley who's going to stir up BIG TROUBLE very soon. Yep...I'll definitely be watching, no matter how hard I try to fight it!

I hopped on the treadmill this morning to do my daily run.  I watched the Casey Anthony trial.  Oh, my word...I can't pry myself away from the TV long enough to accomplish much of anything.  The testimony of her mother was riveting!  I know some may not agree with me, but I think Casey is GUILTY as charged.  I'm not buying the whole idea of Caylee drowning in the family pool...just too many things indicate, otherwise. What are your thoughts?

After I got off the treadmill and watched some of the trial, Brittany asked me to go to the park and walk with her.  She took me down a ravine trail that ended up being a very strenous hike.  We probably walked just over 4 miles.  We saw a big, black snake on the way...'bout scared me to death!  I was so pooped when we finally made it back home.  In fact, Bella looks exactly like I feel!
 

Sorry I haven't had a chance to visit all of you like I have been, but my computer time is pretty limited because Chris is on it most of the day.  He has another interview tomorrow in Atlanta that he's really looking forward to,  so please say a prayer for him!  I promise to keep you updated on any new developments!

I ♥ Faces...PETS

I haven't participated in the photo challenges over at I Heart Faces for awhile now.  The recent themes left me struggling to find just the right capture.  Well, this week's theme is Pets and I knew instantly the photo I had to enter.  This picture is of our beloved Shih Tzu, Bella, who's almost 4 years old and a ball of energy!  She loves to run, explore and, most importantly, chase after her favorite ball.  I took this picture of her when we were out in our backyard playing fetch on a gorgeous afternoon.  I think it shows her exuberance for life and for having FUN. I mean, c'mon, who couldn't love a face like that?

Be sure and take the time to visit I Heart Faces and see all the other adorable pictures of pets.  If you're an animal lover like me, you surely won't regret it!

Worth The Wait!

Over the weekend, it definitely felt like spring had arrived! Just check out the temperature we reached here yesterday afternoon...

Yes...it got up to a whopping 78 degrees! I loved every second of it, too! Of course, all of this warmer weather is causing life to burst forth everywhere! The cherry trees here in our neighborhood are in full bloom.

And so are my fringe plants...

Even my day lilies are beginning to make their appearance!

These two fishermen seemed to enjoy their time on the small lake behind our house. Wonder if they caught anything? I think that one guy is wondering why some crazy lady is snapping his picture!

This pretty blue sky needs no introduction.

Of course, the beautiful weather inspired Bella to root around all of our shrubs in search of critters.

I don't want to even think about the rain and cooler temperatures that are due to move into our area this week. No...I choose to live in complete denial! In my mind...spring has SPRUNG! So, how was your weekend weather? Do anything fun and exciting? Do tell!


P.S. There is someone close to me who is in need of your prayers. If you could pray for him, I would greatly appreciate it...THANK YOU!

Locked Out...And Other Weekend "Adventures"

Friday was a stressful day! We had a showing scheduled for 4:30 PM, so I zipped around and got everything in tip-top shape. You know my usual drill! Well, the realtor called at 4:00 PM saying that her client had an emergency at work and wanted to know if we could reschedule for Sunday. Sure, no problem, lady...I'm just here for your convenience! Do you get the sense that my stress level was way up there?

We had another showing scheduled for Saturday morning at 10:30 AM. The good thing is that I already had the house picked up, so I didn't have to do it, again. I let Abby sleep in as late as I could, then we left to go drive around while our house was being shown. Chris was on his way home from watching Brittany compete at LSU and was due home around noon. Well, after the showing was over, Abby and I went back home so that she could get herself ready as we were planning to go out for lunch with Chris. We got out of the car and I reached for the garage door that leads into our house, but it didn't turn. Yeah, you've got it...we were LOCKED OUT! I've never had a house key on my key ring because we always keep the garage door unlocked. The one Chris had he gave to our realtor to put in our lock box. Not too smart, I know! Well, long story short, Abby and I had to sit outside and wait for over an hour for our realtor to swing by and unlock our front door for us. Definitely not the way I'd planned to start off our weekend!

Chris got home shortly, thereafter, and we went and grabbed some Chinese food for lunch. As we were waiting to place our order, Abby and I noticed these typos on our menus. Hmm...think I'll steer clear of Moo Goo Gai Pain and what in the world is Brococcoli?

Our weather on Saturday afternoon was out-of-this world BEAUTIFUL! The temps. reached the mid-70's...everyone was out in shorts and flip-flops! After we went to lunch, we went over to Home Depot and got some copies made of our house key. I will keep one on my key ring from now on! Of course, I couldn't resist buying some violas. Just look at those magnificent colors!

Maddie couldn't pass on the chance to stretch out in the warm sunshine and soak up some rays.

Of course, Bella had a one-track mind and wanted to play ball...over and over, again! What I'd give for just an ounce of her energy!


So, tell, me...how was your weekend? Any "adventures" you care to share?

P.S. My good bloggy friend, Mamarazzi, is having a giveaway over at her blog Dandelion Wishes . How 'bout you pay her a visit and get your name in the hat to WIN?