Saying Goodbye to Our Sweet Dog

One week ago we found out that our beloved dog Joe had Lymphoma.  We weren’t given any sort of timeframe or anything and just knew we would love on him and make him happy.

One week later we had to make the hardest decision of our lives.  His health went down so rapidly it was hard to believe.  When we went to the vet he wasn’t even able to walk in, he had to be carried.

I have to tell you – this house is way to quiet and still now.  By habit you do so many things, then tears come to your eyes when you realize that whatever it was will never happen again.

We had eleven and a half years with him…..  and now we miss him terribly.

A few links to previous Joe stories and pictures:

Joe Loves the Lake

St. Patrick’s Day Cupcake Fail

The Halloween Experiment

Joe’s Birthday and New Hairstyle

Brooklyn and Joe at Christmas

Morning Routines

Burp Cloths using the Embroidery Machine

My sister-in-law is down this weekend because we have a baby shower to attend!  My cousin’s son is expecting their first (a boy!) so there will be much rejoicing.

I wanted to share the burp cloths that my mom made because I think they are so cute. 

 

Mom uses her embroidery machine and finds the most darling little patterns.  I love that these are so unique and the dragon is just too cute for words.  For those of us without an embroidery machine (insert sad face here) I’m sure we could come up with something cute to applique in place of the embroidery.

 

Mom sews on a strip of ribbon and then does a satin stitch at the burp cloth edge.  Simple and it really makes it so special.

 

Close up photos of the embroidery:

Family Dinner for Lynne’s Birthday

I keep thinking back to the evening of The Birthday Dinner with so much contentment and happiness.  I dearly love that our family enjoys being in each other’s company so much.  We laugh and tease and my cheeks hurt by the time the evening ends!

A few pictures to share…..

 

We got to the restaurant first and opted to wait in the truck.  Next came the Birthday Girl and she climbed into the back seat to chat.  The Boy (how she often refers to her boyfriend when talking to us) was next to arrive and joined us.  We decided since it was a Kodak moment we’d test out the timer feature on the camera.

 

Lynne’, aka Birthday Girl, and little Miss B while we waited for our order to arrive.  I’m not sure what Brooklyn was telling Lynne’ in this picture, but from the look on Lynne’s face she’s not buying it!

 

After dinner she opened her gifts and Miss B was quite interested in this, though she wasn’t really all that impressed with anything that Lynne’ got.

 

Keith and I being silly with the “hold your camera out at arm’s length in front of you” self-portrait.

 

Everything I read about photography says not to do staged photos.  Phooey on them - I will enjoy looking back at the group that met this night!  Standing between Lynne’ and Keith is Alicia, one of Lynne’s roommates.  This photo took several tries with the camera self-timer….. and with people entering the restaurant through the door behind us!

 

I had told Keith on the way to the restaurant that I was going to start a new tradition and get a photo of me and The Birthday Person every year.  He did tell me it can’t be a tradition on the first night you think it up, but I didn’t worry much about that.  Note to self for future pictures – set the purses aside.  ;)   Other than that I love this picture of my daughter and I.

This was truly one of those moments in time that warms a mother’s heart.

{Review} Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Baby, It’s Cold Outside
by Susan May Warren
309 pages
Summerside Press

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:  Hope finds the hopeless when a storm hits.

It's Christmas weekend 1949, and despite the threat of a storm, the townspeople of Frost are determined to continue their holiday traditions, if only as a means to forget the war that they had all just suffered through. But the suffering hasn't ended for Dottie Morgan who lost her only son in the war. She's preparing to wallow in her isolation for the weekend, when Violet, nearly a spinster at age 29, dares to make a request that will force Dottie to publicly revive the memory of her dead son.

When a storm traps the two women at home with a strange young man who has an unbelievable confession and a neighbor with more to do with Violet's past than she would like, no one can predict how this Christmas will give them all a second chance.

Read an excerpt here and find out the story behind the novel

 

MY REVIEW:  “Oh the weather outside is frightful…”  But it manages to bring five people together for some unintentional, intense time together.  That time seems to be exactly what each of them needs, even if they might not have known it before.

Each character is instrumental in bringing about changes in thoughts in somebody else within the house.  Preconceived notions are put to the test and they question some of the things they believe – both in themselves and in those with them during the blizzard.

Such a very good book!  The characters are so easy to love, the time period of right after the war and watching love bloom make this a new favorite book of mine.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at:www.susanmaywarren.com.

Warm up to Christmas early this year with Susan May Warren's Baby, It's Cold Outside</ a>! To celebrate the release of her new Christmas book with Summerside Press, she and the publisher are giving away a Kindle Fire and hosting an early Christmas Party on Facebook

Read what the reviewers are saying here.


One festive winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. Giveaway ends on 10/26

But, wait there’s more! Join Susan May Warren on 10/27 for merriment and a few early Christmas presents at her Baby, It's Cold Outside Christmas party! Grab your Christmas sweaters, socks and pj’s and join Susan and a few friends for a fireside chat about her recent books (Heiress & Baby, It’s Cold Outside), holiday traditions, favorite Christmas recipes, a trivia contest and more! Invite your friends and don’t miss the fun!

RSVP here and we'll see you on October 27th at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST!

 

** Thank you to Litfuse for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest review.

Card #10-Mojo Monday #211–Happy Birthday

Today is my daughter’s 26th birthday!  We’ll be celebrating later, but for today I want to show the card I made for her.

 

I used the Mojo Monday sketch and it came together quite easily. 

 

The flower in the corner?  I *MADE* that!  It was so simple and as soon as I read about it on Stampin’ Pretty’s blog I knew I had to try it.  The only problem with finding something that cool and that simple is that I fear I’ll be using the same flower on everything I make for awhile.

Supplies used for card: stamp from Stampin’ Up’s Well Scripted set

** Linking to Mojo Monday, Make It Monday

{Saturday Stumbles} 10/15/11

This week I’m going to share some of the bedroom ideas I’ve found on Pinterest.  Really some great inspiration out there and it continually amazes me the level of creativity of people!  Just click on the photo to go to the blog of the person that did this and read their entry in its entirety. 

 

I *love* the quilt on this bed!  I know she’s showing the picture for the whole room, which is sooo pretty, but I’m mostly enthralled with the quilt.  It just goes to show that even a simple pattern can look stunning.

 

I’m in love with this lampshade and the most fun thing about it – for me – is that I had bought a lamp at a garage sale and was unhappy with the shade.  Now I know exactly what I plan to do.

 

This says so much to me and I definitely am going to do this in our room.  Isn’t it amazing how something “simple” can be so awesome?

 

Right now we play Words With Friends a LOT, so I really think I love this idea.  Not sure what word I would use, but I’m sure I’ll think of something.

 

Enjoy!  And if you’re on Pinterest let me know so I can follow you!