Morning Mystery

This morning I got up to my normal routine. One of the first things I do is let Andy out of his crate and then waddle to the back door to let him go out side to do his business.

Andy didn't follow me to the door. He went instead to the laundry room where his food and water are. It is unusual for him not to be right there with me to run outside and clear the yard or all feathered visitors. So, when he was not there, I went looking for him.

I saw this wood all over the floor....

Andy had pieces hanging from the fur under his chin.... I was so confused. I kept investigating in my sleepy state and not really focusing, or understanding what I was seeing. So, I looked a little closer and saw this...

The bottom shelf had been chewed off.... notice, it is in a corner next to the dryer and in front is a placemat with Andy's food and water.

Andy kept trying to get under there like he was after something. I looked as closely as I could but wasn't sure what was there, so I didn't get too close. When I tried to pull him away he got upset and growled and snapped at me. (yeah, he got sent to the dog house for that one!) Now THAT was so not like him. He NEVER does that to me. My imagination went crazy. I began to think there must be a snake or animal cowered back there. I did what every brave WOman does... I got my MAN!

He pulled everything out investigating the source... yeah. He then admitted that last night he had thrown a hotdog back there and thought it hit the bowl... but it must have rolled under the shelf.... This caused Andy to go crazy trying to get to the prize.

Who knew the power of a hotdog on a dog. He turned bad! BAD BAD dog!

Great Finds!!!

In my last post Beverly at Dancing With Daffodils left me a comment and told me to do something special and enjoy myself. So, I obeyed.

This morning I got my hair cut and it turned out real cute. I was very pleased with it and it only cost me $6! Yeah, remember a few months ago I posted about the dilemma of my hair and hair stylist. He colored well, but didn't cut like I asked. So... I gave him another chance. He really messed up my color and cut it so poorly that I determined never to go back. Besides... he already had my arms and legs along with the hair on the floor. I guess I thought that high price = good work. Wrong!

My sweet dil always looks so cute and her hair is always cut well. So, I asked where she got her hair done and she surprised me with saying it was a $6 haircut. I jumped on it. I have loved this girl (my dil and hair stylist both)! I began coloring my hair myself again and have been more than pleased with the results and especially pleased with the amount of money that I saved.

I'm all about saving money. I have also mentioned before that I love saving money and getting good deals. I love to bargain shop. One of my favorite stores is Ross Dress for Less, and I love to shop on Tuesdays because they have a special discount for special people who happen to be over 55. Yeah, I do take full advantage of it! I get a real high from walking out with a good deal.

I also love garage sales. It is so much fun to find really good quality slightly used items and give them a good home. Today my daughter and her kids came and picked me up and we went looking. I had seen lots of signs all over the place on my way to get my hair done so we back tracked to find these great sales.

We hit gold! I save my "inherited money" for such times as this. (my "inherited money" is just money that hugsum gives me from the tradition of Pastors. Whenever he does a funeral or wedding and gets a love gift, it goes to the wife - that would be ME. So, I've just called it my inherited money and I stash it away for good deals)...

Well, we happened on these really neat chairs....

You can't tell from the picture, but they are wicker. I got a GREAT deal on them. She sold them to me for $5 each. When we were loading them up she began to tell me about them. I had no clue. They are Palecek. The black you see is wrought iron and goes down the legs. They are very sturdy and well made and normally (when new) sell for about $250 EACH!

So, even though I loved them to begin with I really did do the happy dance at the great deal I got.

So, Beverly, thanks for the encouragement. I had a super great day. After my shopping I went out and about with hugsum and got some shutters for the house and stuff to do a French drain (his job) and then went out to eat. A great and wonderful day!

Hope you had one, too!

To my faithful reader...

This is just a mixture of pictures of some of what's been going on. We have been enjoying the outdoors and planting a garden. I know I haven't been blogging much lately and haven't been reading and commenting... please forgive me. I will get back to bloggyland and do better.... Life is about to calm down and the house is almost done... Thank you for being patient with me.

Preview of House Redecorating

Okay... so this is a picture of how drab and blah the house looked...

Here we are beginning the process and have painted the brick to warm up the color of the house. It still has the green Tudor trim, but it looks better.

Here, we have had the new windows installed and they have redone the green with a nice light trim wrapping. It looks completely different! Praise the Lord!

Next we are having siding put up to cover the stucco and green... and also some red shutters.
More pictures to follow as the progress continues!

Great Day!

Today is a red banner day! Lots of good things going on!!!!!

The painters came and have been painting all day and it's looking good. The windows will be installed tomorrow and the next day...

Yeah, lots of pictures to follow...
and....
I have Kate. We decided to go to Sam's with my daughter and her 3 kids and then to Chick-fil-A (aka Chick-a-lay and Chick-fil-play). We walked in and there was my other granddaughter, Grace with her aunt who keeps her. So I had a surprise play date with all5 of my grandchildren!

What a wonderful treat! If we had not moved out here that would have never happened! I plan to take full advantage of that again!

Who could ask for more?

New Beginnings

I love spring! I love Easter! They both signify getting rid of the old, dead junk and starting new and fresh life and growth.

We have other "newness" going on around our house. We are about to start the fun process of fixing the outside to look better. We couldn't paint until now. They were scheduled to paint today, but the weather was rainy. Nix that! But, tomorrow... sunny! woooooo hooooo!

Out here the wind blows so much that outdoor painting must take that into consideration. After all, we really don't want to paint and REpaint our neighbors' houses!

We also got the call that our new windows are here! Can't wait to get them installed!!!!

Then, the siding goes up! ... plants get planted... grass gets in and we can finally enjoy the outside of our home as much as the inside.

I'll be posting pictures of the progress.... I do REALLY love spring! The is the long awaited warmth and life and sunshine....

Life is good!

A Hoppy Visitor Who Made Us Happy...

Yesterday Rebekah got an early Easter Bunny for the kids. They were so cute picking it out. Today, she brought it over to play with us. All the kids loved him (we are assuming it it is a "he"). Here are a few pictures of Noah and Kate enjoying him - no name, yet.

Bunny was even loved by Andy, the dog. He licked and smelled and wagged his tail constantly. Little bunny fu fu seemed to be enjoying a friendship from another furry creature.

As you can see ... a good time was had by all....

30 X 5 Wrap Up

Well, I took the challenge... Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee convinced many of us to join her in moving for 30 minutes 5 days a week for two weeks... Sounds easy and healthy enough..

I very quickly saw the benefits of doing this. It is quickly (although not quick enough) turning into Spring... that means shorts, bathing suits, less clothes to cover up the "few" extra pounds I have found lying around the house this winter.

Besides... how hard could it be? I whipped out my video "Walk the Walk". It has a one mile part and a two mile part. I can EASILY do that every day ~ no problem.... right?

I actually did very well most days. There were a few that I "moved" enough just playing with grandchildren. I found (by using a pedometer) just how much I move. On days when I have the grandkids I easily do WAY over the prescribed 10,000 steps, over 20,000 steps some days. On other days I may only do 4,000 steps.

But, I did add some other exercises... ones I won't mention because others make fun of them ... but it REALLY does work when done right... I know from past experience. I could feel my muscles toning up...

I also increased my eating to keep up with my extra moving ... do you think this was smart? No, not very........

So, I finish this 30 X 5 challenge with a net weight GAIN of 3.5 pounds. Yeah... not my goal. All I can say is if I had not been moving I probably would have gained a good 10 pounds.... OR I could say that because of doing the strength/muscle/breathing exercises that I have gained that much in muscle. What???? You KNOW muscle weighs more than fat!

I'm looking forward to what Linda has up her sleeve for next to whip us into shape for our beautiful bikini bodies (that in my case no one will see). I plan to try harder and stop the extra eating!

Posey

Here is a video I took yesterday of our youngest grandaughter. She is 6 months old. She has 4 teeth... 2 up, 2 down. She is sitting alone and playing with whatever she wants. She is up on all fours rocking back and forth like she's getting ready to take off crawling.

Isn't she precious? I know you want to kiss those chubby little cheeks... yeah, they are filled with sugar!

In the background you hear Noah and Kate playing the piano "softly" and "singing"... such wonderful times with these grandchildren. I'm blessed beyond measure and so happy!

Surprise Package and Pay it Forward

A while back my friend Lailani, at The Green Grass Grows All Around, posted a Pay It Forward blog. I entered and won!

Today my doorbell rang and I was delivered a surprise package....

I opened it and it had a sweet note from Lailani and some of her homemade goodies....



I tore into the Brown Sugar Scones....

and this is me.... about to devour one... okay, so some... okay.... so LOTS! Notice the big smile?



So now it is MY turn to Pay It Forward...

Here is the deal - I will send something handmade or just a small gift, to the three people who tell me that they are interested. I will randomly pick them... and let you know who wins.

The catch is that you then have to grab this idea and Pay It Forward on your blog!

You can send anything you wish! If you are not interested you can still comment on this post, as I will only choose three people who express interest in Paying It Forward! Let's spread the love through blogland!

Oh... If you happen to live in the Albany, Georgia area I encourage you to visit Lailani's really neat place of business where you can go and make homemade meals to freeze... She provides all the ingredients and recipes and does all the hard part (shopping, chopping and cleaning). Even if you can't visit her store, visit her blog... The Green Grass Grows All Around. (I'm waiting to get the exact name and address for you so you can visit her store. When I get it, I'll post it here, so check back later.... I wish I lived close enough to take advantage of what she offers, ESPECIALLY since I've tasted her scones!)

And, even if you don't have a blog, you can post a comment (please do!!) and if you don't have a blog, I will need your address, email or some way to contact you. Thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing from you...

Surprise Visitors

This morning as I was packing up and getting things ready to go north to our Weekend Parsonage, Andy was going crazy! He was ringing the bell urgently trying to get outside. He was whining and growling and whimpering and pacing and just dancing around he was so excited.

So, I looked to see what was going on and this is what I saw in our backyard ...


I don't know WHY they chose our small backyard to fly into. They seemed to be checking out the pool pretty closely and considering going for a swim. But, no fish were there. (THANK goodness!)

We enjoyed watching them play and didn't let Andy out to chase them. They might have turned on him and chased him! Now that would have been funny to watch!

They played for a few minutes and then flew away. I don't even know what kind they are and if they are the same "brand"... but they did seem to be friends!

Hope you have some nice surprises today, too. Enjoy the spring weather. We are having a beautiful warm day tomorrow. Sunday turns cold again - back to the 20's Sunday night :( and a few more cold days. Maybe we will then have a nice warm spring! I'm ready to get my flowers out!