PUPPY FEVER!

I've got puppy fever!  If you read THIS POST you know that I recently became Grandma to Jack, an ADORABLE red standard poodle puppy. OH!  He is just the BEST. PUPPY. EVER!

JACK, 3.5 months old

And I have been *thinking* about adding a dog to our family for awhile now.  (Me and dear husband, and the two pampered Raggies.)   But so many choices, and so many CHANGES... dogs are not as EASY as cats!!!

Dogs NEED things that cats just sneer at, LOL!  Dogs need POTTY TRAINED!  They need crates and fences and daily walks and river runs and licenses and other foreign stuff!  They get into the garbage, counter surf, chew shoes, bark at noises, drool (sometimes), need bathed and groomed and checked for ticks!

I'm not sure I'm really READY for a pup!  Maybe I should wait... THINK ABOUT IT some more... you know, be sensible and logical and practical and rational... YES, that's just what I'll do.

But IF I was ready... (JUST SAYIN'... !)

I'd want a brown standard poodle pup...

OR... a Yorkie!  I've never had one but I have been enchanted with them for years! This is my friend's adorable Yorkie, Chewy:

Talk about *the long and the short* of it... could two breeds BE more different?!!

SOMEONE... help me!



Images credits: Top photo, Bottom Photo

Day # 27 ("A Child I Love")

As you may know, I don't have any grandbabies. I have several grand-kitties (whom I do adore!), but none of the human variety. In fact, do you think my dear daughter was trying to tell me something when she bought me the pillow, pictured above???!

BUT... there is one darling child on the planet who calls me "Grandma" and OH, I LOVE IT!  His name is Eric, and he is 9 years old.

Eric is the son of our dear ("almost-son"), Jerod.  We love spending time with BOTH of them (and Jerod's wife, Steph).  They are our "family", too.

Here is Eric (at 2 years old) with his daddy. Are they NOT two peas in a pod????!

And here are a few recent pictures. Isn't he ADORABLE???!

Eric loves motorcycles, trucks, soccer, trampoline jumping, and those crazy little "silly bandz". 

And I am proud and honored that he loves me, too... he gave me this note recently (for no apparent reason whatsoever). 

Awwww, I love you, too, Squirt!!! xoxo

The Memory Jar

It was an idea I'd had for a while... gathering some of my own "memories" and those from family members to put into a jar for my wonderful 87-year old mother. Reminiscing is always fun, and I thought this would be something that she would especially enjoy.

I sent out e-mails to my sisters and our kids, letting them know what I had planned, and asking them to please take a little time to think about special memories involving Mom ("Grandma" to the grandkids), jot them down and send them to me.

Once they all rolled in (and I had a few good belly laughs reading some of them!) I printed them out on different colors of paper, cut them apart, folded them and placed them inside a Mason jar. The project was a joy for me, and especially so as the memories started stacking up (I ended up with almost 150!) Each one was a heartfelt and unique testimony of family love, and I knew that within those memories, lay a very special gift for my mother.

I decorated the lid of the jar with pretty fabric, ribbon and beads... and presented it to my Mom yesterday. She received it (as she always receives gifts) -- with genuine delight and appreciation. We talked a little about what was in the jar, and she read one or two "memories" before I left... but honestly, I don't think she realized the significance yet of what was actually in the jar.

Well, a little later that evening I got a call from my mom, who tearfully told me how deeply she had been touched by the Memory Jar. She said she spent over an hour reading all the memories in the jar, and that it was one of the best hours of her life. She said she laughed... and she cried... and she remembered. Oh, how she remembered! She said it was a gift that she would forever cherish.

So thank you, my family, for helping to make this Memory Jar possible. But most of all, thank you, Mom, for being the wonderful, loving mother (and grandmother) that you have always, always been.















I love you, Mom, and I'm so glad you enjoyed your Memory jar. But believe me, the pleasure was all mine.