Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Love What You Do

Today I had the luxury of spending the day with a man who totally loves his job.  I mean completely and totally loves his job. He went to school to be an architect and really was talented.  He loves to draw and thought that being an architect was his calling. After 3 years in architecture school, he realized that it just wasn't for him.  He knew he wasn't the type of person to be bound by four walls.  He knew he was just meant for something different in life.  He tried several different jobs from surf instructor to restaurant owner and finally ended up becoming an excellent sailing captain.  He has sailed everywhere. He has lived  in Australia, New Zealand and now resides in Mexico. He spends his days sailing out in the endless blue.  He calls the ocean his office. He is completely happy with his life. He wakes up every day ready to see what the day will bring and every single day out on the ocean feels like his first time. He never tires of the wonders of the deep blue sea.  It was really nice to meet someone so completely content with his life. When kids go to school it seems that the only jobs people talk about are the big ones - doctor, lawyer, teacher, veterinarian, etc. The off the beaten paths of careers aren't really mentioned. The world is just a big huge wonderful place full of so many different opportunities.  There is room for sailors, and painters, and botanists and whatever calls at your very soul. I ended up raising cute sweet puppies. When I was in college, I certainly never dreamed that I could actually raise puppies as a lifelong career - but it is what calls to me and I am grateful for every single day. If you aren't happy with what you are doing - change it up. Find what nurtures and feeds your soul and then follow your passion. If you do, you might find that each morning, the sun shines just a bit brighter than ever before. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

World Wide Web....where are you?

ARGH!  I am away with my mom and daughter enjoying a little bit of Spring Break fun and the internet service is SOOOOO bad!  I mean really bad.  I mean....searching......searching......searching........and then nothing.  I am so used to connecting to the internet immediately and emailing many many times throughout the day. I feel that being responsive in my emails is one of the very most important things I do each and every day. I don't like to leave people hanging with questions. I take pride in being quick with my responses.  I have been writing my blog separately and then waiting for the internet to have a solid enough signal in order to post my blog. It is a little frustrating to say the least.If I haven't answered an email right away this week, please know that I am trying and for sure, as soon as I return home, I will answer all my emails. Other than the lack of internet, it is so nice to spend some time with my mom and daughter.  We have the rest of the week together and are going to enjoy every minute. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son are at home taking care of all the puppies and doggies.  They have a lot of work on their hands and I am forever grateful that they so willingly agree to keep the home fires burning. I think I better come up with a good present to bring home to them!  They sooo deserve it! Dear Mr. Yesteryear Acres - give those sweet puppies a big hug from me - and of course, take a big one for yourself!  

We love our new racetrack!

When puppies first start solid foods they are so funny.  They look at the lavishly prepared feast laid out in front of them and then....walk right through it. Yep - they don't stop to put their faces down and happily munch away - they walk right through the dish. Sometimes they walk around the bowl and around and around until they make sure the food is good and mushy and full of footprints.  We feed the puppies in a big round serving bowl that has a raised center. The center looks like an upside bowl and the theory behind the raised center is that the puppies will not want to traipse through the food. Of course the reality is that the raised center is the VERY best place in the whole world to play king of the mountain. Whoever gets to the top of the mountain and stays on top wins.  Forget the lovely scrambled eggs. Forget the oatmeal, or rice, or yogurt or homemade chicken stock.....LET'S PLAY!  Lets run around the brand new race track!!! YEA!!!!  We actually have to gently place the puppies mouths into the food and wait for the brain register in their sweet puppy heads to turn on. You can actually see the lightbulb go on.  The puppies will suddenly say - HEY. THIS. STUFF. TASTES. YUMMY!!!!! Once they figure out that the substance in their very fun "racetrack" is edible then they just stick their little faces into the mush and start eating away.  They still put their paws in it of course. And ears. And noses. And bellies. And tails. But they actually manage to get some food in their tummies.  Once they have their fill and they are covered in food from head to toe, the mommy doggies comes in for the rescue and licks them all clean. She makes sure to get every drop. After the first 3-4 days the mess gets less and less as the puppies stop running through the food and get down to business.  Our puppies right now are finally in the "getting down to business" aspect and licking their plates clean.  They will really start to fill out now and grow by leaps and bounds. They also think we two-legged humans are awesome as we bring the most delectable treats to fill their bellies. They never fail to give us the very best THANK YOU kisses.  One kiss from a wet sticky yogurty, oatmeal covered puppy and all is right with the world.

Monday, March 28, 2011

What Once Was Lost is Found

This morning as soon as I woke up I soon realized I lost something special.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres gave me a beautiful pair of earrings for Christmas. I was shocked when I found them hanging on our Christmas tree right next to our pair of dove ornaments.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres totally surprised me and the earrings meant the world to me.  Last night I was so tired when I crawled into bed that I set them on top of my clothes instead of putting them away.  I even toyed with the idea of wearing them to sleep but I was afraid I would break them during the night so I took them out and didn't walk the extra steps to put them away properly. I just laid them down and figured I would get them in the morning.  BIG mistake!  When I woke up, I couldn't find my earrings anywhere. I looked through everything.  I looked multiple times in the same location.  I checked pockets and then checked pockets again and then fulfilling the definition of insanity, checked the pockets a third time thinking that THIS time, the earrings would magically appear. They were gone.  I ripped apart the bed, stripping it down to the mattress and then even the mattress came off.  NOTHING.  The worst part was thinking about telling Mr. Yesteryear Acres that the present I loved so dearly was missing.  I kept saying to myself, the earrings can't walk, they have to be here somewhere but everywhere I looked - no earrings. The tears welled up in my eyes making it impossible to see.  I finally broke down and told Mr. Yesteryear Acres that I lost the earrings he gave me.  I was prepared for the, "You should have put them away."  I was ready for the "I can't believe you lost those earrings."  I was ready for the, "why didn't you take care of them". When I told him he said, "I know you put them someplace safe, don't worry, you will find them. You were probably too tired to remember where you put them."  No criticisms. No harsh words.  Just the belief that I would find them. That made my tears fall even faster. And wouldn't you know it......later today - I found them. Even in my exhausted state,  I put them in a zipper compartment so I wouldn't lose them.  I immediately let Mr. Yesteryear Acres know that I FOUND my earrings. I was bubbling over with excitement and happiness.  He just said, "I knew you would." Whenever I wear my earrings from now on, not only do I wear a most thoughtful Christmas gift, but also I wear Mr. Yesteryear Acres unending faith in me. And......you can be sure at the day's end - they will be nestled in my jewelry case, safe and sound. 

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sweet Potato Goodness

Sweet Potatoes are so good for you.  They are a nice deep orange root vegetable just full of vitamins. They have so much vitamin A inside that you can almost expect Superman type vision after just eating one sweet potato. They are  rich with Vitamin C, Fiber, Iron ...I mean really it is a most perfect food.  Now is it my fault that I think that one of the yummiest, most delicious, most delectable ways of eating sweet potatoes is in the form of .....french fries????  I mean have you ever had sweet potato french fries sprinkled with sea salt?  It is like heaven. Such sweet tender goodness with a bit of saltiness....mmmmmm.  My daughter contends that by eating my sweet potato in the french fry form - they are NO longer good for you.  This is a serious lapse in judgement on her part.  Just because the sweet potatoes are chopped into delightful french fry shapes does not erase the beta carotene.  Beta Carotene is found in ALL shapes and sizes. Cutting the sweet potatoes into fun french fry shapes cannot in any way change the nutritional content. As I was happily eating my sweet potato fries, my daughter kept insisting that my healthy intake of Beta Carotene was JUNK FOOD! Where does she get this stuff? Junk Food??? I think not!!  We are talking about one of the most vitamin rich foods on the planet.  Now they may be SLIGHTLY more caloric by eating them as french fries - but hey it is STILL sweet potatoes so I maintain that it is GOOD for you. Really good for you. After my consumption this evening, I don't even need my reading glasses.  I feel full of energy and enthusiasm.  Those sweet potatoes are AMAZING! Nope NO way is a sweet potato junk food.  My daughter is just plain wrong.  I am once again, the most healthy eater around.  I ate SWEET POTATOES for dinner!!!  I am a nutritional genius!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Who Thought Of This?

So I finally join the world of American Idol watchers and then WHAM! The rug gets pulled out right from under my feet.  What is with this "judging"????  I mean how in the world can they just randomly decide that one of my favorite singers is no longer good enough to perform??  The agony!  I think I was better off when I didn't watch American Idol.  I think it was better when I had absolutely no idea what the big deal was about the show.  I didn't know who was singing. I wasn't invested in the "results". I had no idea what was being sung or who was singing it.  Now I am all curious.  Now I have to watch to listen to my favorite singers. Now I have to fast forward through Thursday's show just to say WHAT WHAT WHAT?!!!! Oh my. I just sat there with my mouth wide open, shaking my head in disbelief.  Thankfully my singer was saved and I can continue to live in agony wondering which 2 singers will be off the show next week.  What if I like them all? I mean when it gets down to the final 4-5 singers, I won't be happy.  I won't want any of them voted off. Who thought of this idea to vote off talented singers? Who thought of this wretched system where singers who clearly sing better than most people I know get thrown off the show?  How is that a good idea?  I know. I won't watch anymore.  Next week I won't turn on my TV.....Except I really want to hear what they will be singing next week. Except I would really miss the country singer and the raspy singer and the ballad singer and and and UGH!  I will HAVE to turn on the TV! I will continue to be tortured!  Maybe I will record the show, and then save the show, and then I will pretend they all made it. Yeah.  That's the plan! Everyone makes it.  JOY!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Irish Candyathon

At lunch today the UPS man brought a big box for ME!  What could it be?  What is inside?  Who is it from? Well it was from my sister!!!!  She just returned from a trip to Ireland and while she was there she bought us goodies! What a surprise!  She is always thinking of my family and she gives the BEST presents in the world.  My sister really thinks about who she is giving a present to.  She thinks about what they like, what means something to them and what they love to do.  She never gives just any ole present in order to fulfill an obligation, she always give a gift straight from her heart.  Every birthday and every Christmas she gives the very best, most thoughtful gifts to each and every member of my family.  She has a way of knowing just what you have been hoping for and then makes it even better.  Whenever we get a present from my sister, we know it is going to be great.  This past summer she surprised us with a box of pinecones that were specially treated to give off the most beautiful colors when thrown into a campfire.  They were amazing! It was like watching the Aurora Borealis right in your fire.  So today when a package arrived from my sister, I eagerly opened it.  Inside was a beautiful tunic that she bought for me in Ireland. It is really pretty!  I can't wait to wear it tomorrow!  Then the rest of the box was FILLED with edible goodies from Ireland.  Oh my goodness - after dinner we had a marathon of Irish sweets.  An Irish Candy-chocolate-a-thon. I am SOOOO full!  I mean you can't just have everyone else try all the goodies and not participate! I started out with the Milk Chocolate Digestives which are always TOO good.  mmmm. Everyone loves them!  Then I tried the Crunchie which is a milk chocolate covered honeycomb candy.  I have to say that was pretty good too.  My daughter LOVED the jam filled cookies and my husband loved the chocolate caramel topped biscuit cookies.  Everyone's favorite however was a candy bar called, "Moro". Oh my goodness!  It is a nougat, caramel topped biscuit type candy that was delicious!  I was quite grateful that my sister put in several of those as we are already starting to hoard them to make sure we all got an equal share. We had a lot of fun after dinner trying all the Irish goodies.  My daughter said she felt like she went on a trip across the pond for dessert.  Thanks dear sister!!!! You made our evening!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A Job That You Love

It seems I run around at full steam every single day and hardly take a break.  Even if I did have free time, I would be probably so racked with guilt over being allowed to take a break, I wouldn't be able to do so. I read someone's posting on facebook today about how people should take one hour each day to relax and reflect and have some "me" time. That we should give ourselves permission to be "un" busy. We should allow for time to restore and rejuvenate our spirit. I was like...oh my....wouldn't that be lovely?!  Just reading that made me a feel a longing to sit and relax. I wonder what it feels like to just sit without guilt, without thinking of the list of things to do, without the weight of all that must be done pressing down upon you.  Many people assume that since I work from home, I have oodles of time.  Well, the truth is, I have doodles - so that eliminates any and all chance for oodles of time. I am always cleaning up puppy poop, and watering the puppies, and letting the puppies out, and letting the puppies in, and washing dishes, and washing puppy blankets and toys, and vacuuming floors, and working and training, and chauffeuring, and gardening, and cooking, and being a mom and being a business woman and being a wife. I actually have very little free time.  Sometimes my sister, who is an attorney, will email me and complain that she had to WORK on a Saturday. Oh NO, Not Saturday! I have little sympathy as I always work on Saturdays. Or she will tell me she worked until 7pm. EGADS!  I work until midnight almost every single night. I know she is reading this right now and thinking how hard she works - and she does - it is just that I do too. And as hard as I work - Mr. Yesteryear Acres works even harder. With all the hard work being done around here, you would think maybe we would get tired of raising puppies. The other day my son asked me, "Just what would we DO if we didn't raise puppies....I mean what would we DO???" He couldn't imagine a life without it.  He couldn't imagine having a weekend with nothing to do and in thinking of a weekend of nothingness - he was sad. He said he might like it one time - but that is it.  He loves the puppies.  He loves being with the puppies and working on the farm and always having something to do.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres said the same thing.  He loves what he does. I do too.  I honestly love it.  I love being home all the time. I love being here for my children. I love being able to have family dinners each and every evening and I love being surrounded by unconditional love every single day of my life. There is a saying, "Find a job that you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life".  I guess that is the way it is around here.  We all love what we do, and even though we are busy all the time, our lives are fulfilled.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Good ole Salad

Today I decided to combat my over-feasting of yesterday by eating a nice healthy salad for lunch.  Mmmm Salad.  Good ole salad. Nothing but a big pile of green leaves in a nice large bowl.  You can eat as much as you want and it is almost negative calories. Bite after Bite after bite of crunchy green foliage. I, in no way, thought of myself as a wild deer grazing in the fields.  I did not envision the chewing to be similar to a cow chewing its cud.  I didn't associate the endless bowl of greens with a bowl of washed up seaweed. I just ate my salad thinking of nice happy thoughts like....I am sure I am thinner already.  I am positive the chewing is zapping away my calorie intake. I bet I am losing weight just by eating this delightful bowl of salad.  I bet my jeans will now zip without having to lie down flat on my bed whilst sucking in my breath with all my might. I bet I can wear that cute little dress without so much of a hint of a muffin top showing.  Mmmm Salad.  Good ole salad.  I felt so good about my healthy lunch.......I decided to celebrate. What could I do to show my appreciation to myself for being so good? How could I express my gratitude for eating such a healthy lunch? What best exemplifies happy thoughts over a job well done? Well .....the answer is.....Oreos.  MMMMMM OREOS!!!! AND MILK!  NOW THAT IS A GOOD LUNCH! Maybe tomorrow I will try grapefruit for lunch. Yeah - Grapefruit followed by Ho-Hos! Man I am doing really well on my low calorie lunches!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Scrumptious Perogies!

This morning I was at the car dealership for service by 7:30am. I called as soon as they opened to let them know that the climate control in my car was NOT fixed. The service man asked what did I mean "not fixed." I explained that when you turn the fan OFF, it doesn't turn off.  When you turn the heat ON, no heat comes on. When you turn the fan DOWN, it doesn't slow down. When you turn on the A/C, there is no A/C. His response....."why don't you bring the car in so he could see what was going on."  Oh. Okay. As if the second he turns the fan OFF - suddenly the fan will turn OFF because for some reason, I lost every ounce of intelligence and I am unable to process how to turn on and off the climate control in my car. ARGH.  When I pulled into the service bay - do you know what he said? The service man said it looked like something was broken in my climate control! WHOA! I never saw that coming.  Thank goodness he was there to let me know that.  How else in the world could I have ever come up with the fact that the continuous blasting of tepid air at full force meant my climate control was broken.  He promised me it would be a quick fix. I didn't have a ride so I had to wait on the repair. Two and 1/2 hours later -the car was fixed. Again. For the second time this week.  During the 2.5 hours that I sat in the repair "lounge", I wondered...if this is a "quick" fix - what is a long one? Thankfully - THIS time, the car is really fixed and the fan controls all work.  As soon as I got back home I hurried to take all new pictures of the puppies and published them to the website.  We have some cuties!
They were quite cooperative little pups and enjoyed their photo shoot.  The cute pictures just brightened my mood immediately!  Then for the really super awesome big treat of the day - one of the families that adopted a puppy from us made us Perogies.  I have never in my life had Perogies and had to look up what they were. She made potato and cheese perogies and potato and sauerkraut perogies from scratch. Completely homemade! Just for me!!!  WOW! They were FANTASTIC.  Little bundles of pie crust type goodness filled with homemade mashed potato yumminess!  We ate TONS and now I cannot move.  We couldn't stop eating them. I will be smiling all night long. So will my tummy!  That was just the best ending to my day.  They were scrumptious!!!!!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Jet Propulsion Air Vents

I had a nice leisurely morning at the hotel and didn't check out until almost noon. My son was a huge help and loaded up all of our things for our trip back home. He even made us peanut butter and jelly bagels for lunch. As we made our way back home it became clear that the service department at the car dealership did not fix the car. If you pushed the "Off" button on the climate control, the air would in fact NOT turn off, but instead, blast at you at full power. If you pushed the fan down button, the fan did not slow down; it didn't change its speed whatsoever. If you pushed the air conditioning button, the air conditioning did not come on. If you pushed the heat button can you guess what happened..... No heat!! All we were left with was an uncomfortable blasting of tepid air which blew furiously at us for the entire car ride. My son was not bothered by this at all, but I could not block this from my mind. I do not like air blasting me in the face. I do not like the sound of jet engines roaring from my air vents. I do not like uncomfortable torrents of sticky air coming directly at me as if I were in a wind tunnel and I especially do not like it when the "OFF" button means, "I don't think so".  We had to turn the radio up full volume just to hear it. It was really an uncomfortable journey home, made even more so by the fact my car was at the shop on Friday for the entire day for no reason. Ugh.  So first thing tomorrow, I will have to call the service department and lose my vehicle for yet another day. I am hopeful that they will repair it correctly this time.  Other than the irritating non-functioning climate control situation - the ride home was fun. I loved the chance to spend the entire day with my son. I loved hearing and talking about the things that matter to him.  We had several insightful conversations and he just makes me so proud.  I am lucky to be blessed with a son as thoughtful and as witty as he is.  I am also really lucky that he thought the ride home together was as much fun as I did.  He can't wait for the next puppy delivery trip. I have to say that I will look forward to it as well.  2 days spent traveling alone with my son is something to treasure. Time flies by so quickly. Today time slowed down so I could spend my day - out on the open road - hanging with my son.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Precious Cargo - Delivered Safely

The puppies were excellent travelers on our eastbound journey.  They all pooped and peed before climbing aboard the puppy mobile and held it all the way to our first stop. My son and I started a book on tape but then ended up turning it off and chatted almost the entire way.  That was a lot of fun and an unexpected bonus to my trip. He is a really hardworker and spends most of his free time outside working on the farm chores or whatever help Mr. Yesteryear Acres might need for the day.  My son and Mr. Yesteryear Acres spend loads of time together as they are both cut from the same cloth.  They work from sunrise to sunset. Today however - it was just me and my son.  He is great company and just the best helper.  He pours my coffee, answers the phone, washes the windows, and pumps my gas which I I LOVE because I hate pumping my gas. He is the very best puppy mobile assistant ever. We had a lot of fun talking and both agreed that spending the entire day driving was much more fun than we had thought it would be. We met our puppy families and personally delivered their little furry bundles of joy. We got a lot of hugs and thank yous and the day was just perfect.  Tonight we are checked into a hotel for the evening and are going to warm up some pork and noodles that I made for dinner and watch a few movies.  We are looking forward to the evening!  Tomorrow morning we are homeward bound. Although I rarely make fast food stops, I think I might surprise my son and stop and get him a hamburger on the way home.  He LOVES hamburgers and I am thinking he deserves one.  Maybe even a double!!!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Back on Track

I am back on track!  The car service department called and evidently my compressor was not working in my car so they ordered a new part AND installed it TODAY!  YEA!  My car is alllll fixed.  And it was a warranty repair which is even better as there was no charge to fix it.  YEA! I have my car back!!! My puppy families have called and/or emailed me and I am all set for tomorrow morning.  The puppies are all clean and ready for their big trip out east. I have the puppy care packages all made and each puppy has a puppy blanket that smells like home.  The car is full of gas, the puppy mobile box is loaded and the puppies are wagging their tails ready for the morning.  They remind me of the little boy on the commercial who is so exited for his vacation he giggles and says, "I am too excited to go to sleep!"  I feel like that for tomorrow.  I have a lot of happy families waiting to meet their sweet babies.  My son has agreed to come with me for the trip so now I have company which is awesome!  I am so glad he is coming.  That will make the trip a million times more fun.  I even had time today to spend the day with my dad which was LONG overdue.  We had sooooo much fun together.  My mom ended up joining us for dinner so it was just the three of us!  How fun!!!  The whole day was spent with lots of smiles. I just have to get a few more things ready for tomorrow and I will be all set.  The Puppy Mobile Rides Again!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

And then it hit me

Today didn't go quite exactly as planned. Try as I might, my "oh let's look on the bright side" part of my brain wasn't exactly engaged. I woke up much earlier than I planned and wasn't too happy about my early morning "SNORING" wake up call.  Grrrrr.  I was really tired and evidently so was Mr. Yesteryear Acres. Only one of us got to sleep though.  Guess who won? "SNNNNNNNOOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEEEEE"  It was absolutely no use trying to sleep so I got up before the sun and started working on all the things I had to get done today. One by one, for some reason or another, things were just not coming together. I still don't have all the logistics of my puppy deliveries figured out as I am still awaiting a few email replies. I think I checked my email 1,000 times today but I believe there is some kind of cosmic law that states checking your email every 1.5 seconds will not elicit a response.  It must follow the watched pot never boils theory. I was supposed to have help today - but the person helping me had to leave very early so alas - it was up to me to get all my things done. To top it all off, when I was driving to pick up my son from track practice, I noticed my car was very warm.  I mean really warm.  I kept turning down the heat. No difference.  I was actually starting to sweat.  Then I turned on the air conditioner. NO DIFFERENCE. UGH!!!!  My SUV that is not even a year old yet is NOT working!  The climate control is broken and evidently stuck on "YOU ARE IN A SAUNA" setting. I immediately called the service department and the service man said, and I quote, "You don't need air conditioning to drive."  Really? Really? Gee thanks. That is so helpful. I also don't need to wear boots in winter or a raincoat in the rain or put sunscreen on in the sun but I DO! So Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I drove to the service department and there my car sits.  They better fix it before Saturday morning!!!  I am really frustrated, and yes, if they can't fix it before Saturday, I will still make the puppy mobile delivery trip because as I was so thoughtfully reminded today - you don't need air conditioning to drive. I just really really hope they can fix it tomorrow! Now I need to get a ride out to see my dad, I will be up late tomorrow night loading up the puppy mobile because we can't get that done while it is at the shop, I still have to bathe all the puppies all by myself because my helper went home, and I have 1,000 things left on my TO DO list AND I am still waiting for some email answers to come to my inbox.  I was almost in tears over my day of nothing going right.......and then.... it hit me! ALL of this is MY FAULT! OH NO!  I could have prevented this entire disastrous day!!!!! I FORGOT TO WEAR GREEN THIS MORNING!!!!!!! I cursed my own day!  Honestly I would take a leprechaun pinching my butt but this is too much.  I just ran upstairs and threw on a green scarf and a green headband. I am ready now.  I am apologizing for my horrible oversight! Okay - service man - you can call me now and tell me something like - "Oh that was just a missing O Ring or plug or switchy thing and we already fixed it!"  Okay puppy families you can email me now so I can email the other puppy families eagerly awaiting an answer. Okay puppies, you can go wash up all by yourself and be all sparkly clean for me.  I AM WEARING GREEN! 

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Busy Busy Me!

Oh my! I have been nonstop busy all day and it looks like there is no end in sight for a while. Last night I was going through my calendar and I realized that it was an entire month before I was scheduled to travel to Annapolis again.  I have puppies ready to go to their new homes and families eagerly awaiting their new little arrivals so I decided that I just couldn't make them wait a whole month to meet their new little babies. I am going to leave Saturday morning to make a special trip just to deliver the puppies. I mean who in the world could wait an extra month to give this cutie a big kiss?

So I will load up the puppy mobile bright and early and head out east, delivering happiness along the way.  I feel really good about my decision as I was actually feeling very guilty about making families wait.  I usually only deliver puppies if I already have a trip planned to visit my daughter at the Naval Academy.  This trip will just be about delivering bundles of joy.  Everyone getting a puppy is so excited and so am I.  It will be a fun trip.  In the meantime, I have lots to get ready. Today I have been working on the logistics of the trip plus I took new pictures of the puppies and updated the website. Tomorrow I need to make sure all the puppy care packages are ready, the puppies are all clean and beautiful, and the puppy mobile is loaded and ready for action.  Friday I will be gone all day as I already made plans long ago to spend the day with my dad so that leaves tomorrow as the only day to do 1,000,000 things! I think I shall wake up with the sun and get moving.  I have a couple of things that I have to make for my dad so I need to get started right away. I will be working non-stop to get everything done on time. In the end it will all be worth it.  Nothing is better than having a sweet puppy to snuggle. Puppy love makes every day a good day and it won't be long before my puppy families get to meet their bundles of joy!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Rain Rain Go Away

I don't even want it to come back another day! Well at least not until it is gardening time. Once the veggies are in, it would be quite thoughtful if a nice little sprinkling could occur each evening so that the plants all get a lovely drink. I love it when it rains overnight during gardening season.  I make a big deal out of the fact that I - and I alone  -watered all the plants saving Mr. Yesteryear Acres loads of work.  I am so thoughtful that way.  As for now - the only thing "I" am watering is MUD.  I am actually getting quite tired of all the mud swamps around here. We have had our fill of rain and then some.  Today's dreary forecast had Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I dreaming of planting our garden so we went and purchased some seeds today.  We need to be prepared for our planting season! Mr. Yesteryear Acres is starting some of our tomato plants right now so we can get our full 100+ tomato plants in as soon as the time is right for planting.  I am already counting the days!  I can't wait for our lovely tomatoes to be ready for picking. The colored pictures on all the tomato seed packets had my mouth watering.  We got several packets of Golden Jubilee which were SO good last summer along with stocking up on our favorite Early Girl. If tomatoes needed soupy swamps in order to thrive - we would without a doubt have the very best garden ever. *sigh*  I hope it dries up soon. I miss the sun. I miss the sidewalks.  I miss the grass. I miss puppies that aren't all "chocolate". I miss being able to wear something besides galoshes every day. This Sunday is the first day of Spring.......I am thinking bright yellow thoughts. Maybe if we all concentrate and think of nothing but bright shiny yellow happy thoughts, spring will arrive all warm with blue skies and yellow sunshine and maybe, just maybe, it will dry up the mud so the planting can begin!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Happy Pi Day!

For all of you math lovers out there or for those with children taking math classes, I am sure you are celebrating PI day today. Who doesn't love PI day? Good ole 3.14  Okay, Okay ----- in actuality, I did NOT realize today was "PI" day.  I had no idea.  I went through the whole day totally unaware that today was such a grand occasion. A day to be celebrated. I thought it was March 14th and nothing more but alas, I was wrong. My younger daughter also failed to realize that today was PI day. She also was under the misconception that today was merely March 14th but as soon as she got to her AP Calculus class, she realized the error of her ways.  Her math professor was quick to point out that today was indeed National PI day and he was bitterly disappointed that no one brought festive treats in order to celebrate such an auspicious occasion.  Evidently none of the students realized the magnitude of the date and were then forced to *gasp* do MATH for the entire class.  The teacher did mention that he could perhaps celebrate PI day tomorrow if anyone was up to the task.  So as soon as my daughter came home from school, she started baking.  She decided to make a PI pie.  She got the dough all ready and the apples all peeled and sliced and proceeded to make a delicious apple PI pie.  She even cut out the PI symbol on the top crust. Mr. Yesteryear Acres came in the kitchen in the midst of the baking and said he was crushed that she didn't think to celebrate PI day with him.  He didn't know how he could go on with the day knowing that he was all alone with no celebratory feasting. He left looking forlorn and saddened so of course my daughter proceeded to make a second PI pie just for him.  His face lit up like Christmas morning when he smelled the apple PI pies baking and counted TWO pies in the oven.  So tonight we celebrated PI day.  I made marinated grilled pork chops, caramelized roasted sweet potatoes and baby asparagus for dinner and for dessert ......Apple PI pie.  We each got 3.14ths of a slice of pie. It was PI PERFECT!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Mom weekend

My mom and I had been planning for weeks to spend part of Sunday afternoon together - just the two of us - and when my younger daughter heard that her Grandma and Mom were going out ALONE without her - well she was not happy. What about the 3 musketeers? What about the fact that she misses Grandma? So last night my mom came all the way out here just to take my daughter to the movies so they could have some alone time. It was a really good plan...but once she got here, dinner happened, and then talking happened and then laughing happened and then it was too late to go to the theater. Luckily, I am a movie-a-holic and I had a good movie to watch here. Of course I made my world famous popcorn - so that just added to the perfect evening. We haven't spent just a quiet fun night relaxing with her in a long time so it was a well overdue evening.  This morning I got up early - I mean really early because the clocks are now all ahead an hour so when I got up early - it was just cruel. I had to give 2 puppies sponge baths this morning because....well one puppy didn't hold it all night and that puppy didn't walk very far to leave a lovely present...in fact he left his present on TOP of another puppy and then they decided to snuggle together. Oh joy. Thank you sweet puppies.  After all the puppy work was done, I headed off to see my mom again. Even though I saw her last night - we already missed each other and immediately started laughing and chatting the second we saw each other. We spent the day shopping for some fun things for spring. It was a blast.  It is so nice to just hang out with your mom. I feel lucky that mine loves to be with me and I love to be with her and whenever we are together - a good time is guaranteed. We shopped until we dropped and enjoyed every moment. Thanks mom!!!! 

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Facebook Appreciation

Yesterday's tragic events in Japan and the following ordeal in Hawaii and the west coast gave me a deeper appreciation for Facebook. I know many people feel that Facebook is a great big black hole where time disappears and hours that could be put to good use is simply sucked away.  Sometimes I fall into that trap.  People post things of interest, pictures, comments, ideas - and before I know it a whole hour is gone in an instant.  I try hard to balance the time I spend on Facebook so that it isn't too consuming.  I like to play Scrabble with a good breeder friend of mine. I like to keep in touch with all my puppy families and Navy friends. I like to see pictures and updates that are posted on my  older daughter's wall as she is far from home and every update brings her just a little bit closer to me.  I think Facebook is really terrific. It is so easy to stay in touch and keep your circle of friends close by.  Social networking also allows for friends far far away. The minute I heard about the tsunami heading towards Hawaii, I thought of my friend in Hawaii. She is another mom of a midshipman and of course I was worried for her as were all the other midmom friends in our Navy mom circle.  We were able to chat with her and get instant updates on how she was doing. I bet when Mark Zuckerberg first thought of the facebook idea - he never envisioned it would bring people comfort and allow them to share their prayers and compassion for each other in times of trouble. I know my friend was comforted by having so many friends "close" by. Another Navy friend of mine has a son that has been deployed in Japan for the past 7 months and he literally missed the earthquake by a few minutes as his orders to leave happened right before the tsunami hit. Not only did I see what was happening halfway around the world by staying glued to the National news, I saw pictures, and read updates, and heard personal stories from my facebook friends. It brought the whole ordeal so close to home. I am still in awe at the raw overwhelming power of Nature. The devastation is simply incomprehensible. For all my friends who are safe tonight, I am so glad. If you ever need anything - remember - I am one post away!

Friday, March 11, 2011

HO HO HO

So where's Santa? I mean it certainly must be Christmas time and not 11 days before Spring begins, because this is what I saw when I woke up this morning.....
Yes, our torrential flooding rains turned into an overnight snowfall changing our backyard into a winter wonderland. I honestly don't know what to wear each morning - Genuine yellow fisherman rain suits complete with hip boots or down-filled snow parkas. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were up by 6:00am and we gave a "WOW" like the little kid from "A Christmas Story".  It was really pretty outside.
You can't even tell that under the beautiful snow is about 3 feet of muddy soupy gushy sinking mud pits.  We both took a moment to admire the beauty of nature.
Every finger of every branch was filled with white snow and we at once felt renewed and refreshed. I felt as if winter was saying, don't forget about me.  Don't forget how beautiful I am. Don't forget to appreciate me and your love for the beauty of a winter landscape. After having weeks of nothing but mud and rain, the whiteness and peacefulness of the snow was a welcome sight. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I sipped our coffee together and gazed out the window, knowing it would soon be gone, and grateful for the glorious artwork right outside our door.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

OOOH SO FUN!

When you hear what I did today - you are going to be so jealous. Suddenly, your day, no matter how awesome, no matter how glorious - your day will simply pale in comparison to how I spent my afternoon. Did I spend the day in warm yellow sunshine? Why no - it is still raining. In fact, when I needed to make a milk run today, I contemplated kayaking to the store.  Did I spend the day watching movies and eating popcorn? Why no - the TV hasn't been on all day and I believe it misses me dearly.  Did I win the lottery, find the puppy poop magically cleaned up, or have magical fairies come and clean my house? No, No and sadly no. What did I do? What is so wonderful? Oh let me share - I cleaned doggie teeth today! I know. I know. You can hardly hold back your jealousy. Who doesn't want to spend the afternoon scraping tartar off of doggie teeth? I am actually quite good at it and probably could be certified as a doggie hygienist but nonetheless, I can't say that it is really all that fun.  First of all, the doggies aren't particularly overjoyed when they see the dental scraper. Second, when you scrape tartar off of doggie teeth - it is....how do I put this delicately......it is......STINKY!  Yes it stinks.  I have to put on my reading glasses and get my face right up close to the teeth and breathe in doggie breath the entire time. Yuck. The doggies don't even thank me.  They act the same as humans do when faced with the dentist. They slowly and I mean S L O W L Y walk/crawl/inch their way over to my lap and give me a pitiful "I DON'T LIKE THE DENTIST" look. I have to say - I act the same way when I go to the dentist.  I hate it.  There is nothing I like about it. The entire time I get my teeth clean I just think PLEASE be over soon!  The doggies are the same way. Luckily I am quick and it is over before they know it.  Just like humans - doggies need their teeth cared for so they can have nice bright shiny teeth and healthy mouths. Even though my doggies are WAY talented, none of them have mastered brushing their teeth, so it is up to me to keep their teeth pearly white. I wonder what fun I will have tomorrow? Ear cleaning? Toenail trimming? Doggie haircuts? The choices are just endless. Prepare yourself for another "Wow, I wish I could have spent the day doing THAT" episode soon!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

One Year of Blogging

Today marks exactly one year of blogging. One year ago today, I had an idea to write about life here at Yesteryear Acres and wrote my very first blog post. That was entry number one and now one year later, I am writing entry number 366, my first entry of my second year. I haven't missed a single day of writing my blog - no matter how busy my day is, how far from home I might be or how I am feeling. I made a commitment to write my daily blog and have kept it. When I woke up this morning, Mr. Yesteryear Acres greeted me with, "Happy Anniversary!"  I said, "Happy Anniversary of what?"  I totally forgot, yet there my husband was with a big grin on his face saying how proud he was of me for keeping our blog going for our very first year. He is making me a special dinner tonight to celebrate.  How nice is that? Mr. Yesteryear Acres is the very best husband ever. He saved some fried tomatoes from this summer and we are having that along with some other goodies. I can't wait! So one year.  One year of sharing all the ups and downs, ins and outs, highs and lows of life here at Yesteryear Acres.  Some days, I know exactly what I am going to write about. I have it all pre-written inside my head and can't wait to get it written.  Other days I have to really think about what to say.  The worst days are when I have the computer on my lap and I stare at the blinking cursor on my computer screen and just watch it blink, completely devoid of any thought or idea on what to write. Luckily that doesn't happen very often.  I usually make a point of thinking throughout the day - what would be interesting? What is funny or special or worth sharing today? Sometimes just in thinking about what is a nice thing to share, I think of several things that made the day special, which is a gift onto itself. Thinking of nice things leads to more appreciation of nice things that happen throughout the day. I have to say I have really enjoyed the blogging experience.  I love to write. I would love to be a professional writer and write for a living (along with raising sweet doodle puppies of course). I find writing to be something I passionately enjoy. Hopefully you have found some of my posts to be heartwarming or funny or interesting or enjoyable in some way or another. I love getting feedback on my posts and love reading all the comments on facebook and the blogpage.  It makes my day knowing that you have enjoyed reading what I have written. I think the best part about writing an online daily blog is that I have made some really nice friends along the way. I have made some beautiful connections - some with people I have never even had the chance to meet in person but the connection is there just the same. So my world is your world and together we walk through all the fun life has in store for us.  I think I will keep the blog writing going and continue to share my thoughts each day. Thank you to all my dear readers. Writing for you has been my extreme pleasure.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

What? No rain?

Miracle!  It did not rain today! Not one drop of rain fell from the sky and wow what a difference that made in the good ole routine of "Let Dog Out, Let Dog In, Let Dog Out, Let Dog In...." Every time I let the dogs in.....I recognized my doggies. My cream doodles were not chocolate doodles. My apricot doodles were not chocolate doodles. My red doodles were not chocolate doodles. My chocolate doodles were not...oh wait...yes they were.  My chocolate doodles were still chocolate doodles but CLEAN chocolate doodles!  The puppies liked being outside SO much better today as well.  They didn't sink up to their elbows in mud puddles. Well maybe that is not quite an accurate statement.  Puppies don't really care whether they romp elbow deep through mud puddles but I definitely care so I liked it so much better today!  I took my camera outside to get some cute pictures of the puppies playing in the yard (as opposed to playing in a mud pit) but every picture turned out blurry. *sigh*. I think my battery was too low to focus properly. I am charging the battery now so hopefully the next round of photos will be better. I wanted to share my pictures because the puppies were so cute today.  They really got into playing and romping around AND they all came back inside nice and clean.  While we were out enjoying the NON rainy day, the puppies all got their nails trimmed and coats brushed.  They are all so beautiful now.  Sadly, the beauty won't last.  Tomorrow's forecast: MORE RAIN!  I thought APRIL Showers brought May Flowers. What good comes of MARCH showers?  I can't say I am looking forward to another solid month of rain.  I mean the rain itself isn't so bad.  I have nothing against rain - it is just the constant POURING and DUMPING of inches upon inches of rain that is so difficult to take. Our backyard is completely underwater and there is so much flooding around our area. My doggies and I would like a break from scuba diving during the potty runs outside.  I think they have just about reached their certification levels and soon I will have Scuba Diving Instructor Doodles! I guess I better get the snorkels back out for tomorrow.  Looks like it will be another soggy day!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Maybe I should just become a Vegetarian

"Hey mom....would you eat a rhinoceros?"

Um well, no son, I wouldn't. 

"How about a Giraffe?" "I mean there has to be a lot of meat in a Giraffe! Just think how long that neck is."

No, I wouldn't eat a Giraffe.

"What about a Hippopotamus?  I mean what if the kid in the song singing, "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" meant he wanted to eat one?"

NO - I do not want to eat a Hippo. No the kid didn't want to EAT a hippopotamus for Christmas.

"What about Water Buffalo?"

No.

"What about Cape Buffalo"

That is practically the same thing as Water Buffalo so still NO.

"Darn I thought I got you on that one. How about squirrel?  People eat squirrel.  Wouldn't you eat a squirrel?"

 NO! I don't want to eat squirrel. In fact - just consider my answers to your "Would you eat......" to be NO. No to anything cute.  No to anything I find adorable.  No to anything that I like to see in the zoo. Got it?

"Well then what about a snake? Would you eat a snake? Because you don't think snakes are cute or adorable and you never even go look at them in the zoo so how about a snake?"

ACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! NO! I do NOT WANT TO EAT A SNAKE. 

"How about a..."

STOP. STOP RIGHT THERE. I am now an official vegetarian. So NO, NO, NO to all your questions. Got it?

"Sooooo you don't care about plants?"

Yep - that is a summary of my day.  After that, my son started a brand new line of questioning - all designed to slowly eat away at my patience.  Before you think - awwwwww that is so cute - might I remind you that my son is 14.  Yes 14.  He was doing that on PURPOSE.  I was busy preparing dinner and couldn't get away.  He purposefully sprawled out on the kitchen floor so that I was 100% trapped by his line of questioning.  Every question came with a malicious grin and chuckle.  He knew he was driving me crazy and he was quite proud for achieving his goal.  Why - I ask myself - why is it so fun to torture me? I really don't have the answer but I figured I probably should count myself as the luckiest mom in the world because my teenage son likes hanging around me.  Because he chooses to keep me company while I cook. Because he doesn't choose to isolate himself in his room. Because he doesn't spend all his time on the internet or texting friends. Because he thinks I am fun to be with and that is pretty special......even if it is only to torture me.  Oh yea....."what about cows? Aren't cows CUTE and ADORABLE!?!?"  Yep - maybe I should just be a vegetarian.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Why Hello Snow

When I awoke this morning, what did I see out my window???? SNOW!!!! Lots of wintry white snow. Yesterday our entire backyard was a sea of endless brown gunky mud and this morning it was sparking white. Ahhhhh. It was as if everything was new again.  I just smiled when I looked out at the white wonderland.  A little chickadee was on our snow covered brick walkway just looking at me. He was definitely showing off how beautiful he looked with the snowy landscape in the background. The doggies all looked at me like WHERE DID THIS COME FROM? I think they were pretty sure winter was over. They quickly adjusted and soon were all romping around in the snow. I felt happy seeing the beauty of nature everywhere. I felt happy having the doggies come back in the house without slinging mud everywhere. I felt happy to not have my kitchen look like some ancient tar pit. And then........POOF! ALL GONE! Good-bye beautiful white wonderland.  Good-bye chickadee. Good-bye doggies that are clean and pretty. The snow melted as quickly as it fell leaving yet more endless miles of mud soaked fields and a backyard that looks like the Brea Tar Pits. *sigh*  Well it was lovely while it lasted.  Despite all the muddiness, we did have fun playing with the puppies for a little while outside. They were a bit confused by the sudden change in weather, but once they saw the big doggies having fun, they joined in.  My daughter and I took new pictures of all our puppies and got some really good photos for the website. I plan on getting them all published first thing tomorrow morning. It takes about 3 hours to get all the pictures uploaded so Monday morning usually is a good time to work on the website. The kids are at school and I can work without interruptions and most importantly I don't miss precious family time.  Weekends are for being together, having fun with the kids, a little free time if lucky, puppy snuggles and doodle love......with and without mud puddles. 

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Do you know what time it is???

Yesterday my big plans for the double-feature movie watching marathon never happened. As always work, work, work, got in the way. Oh yes - and also mud.  Lots of mud.  It was a long muddy day. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I crawled into bed around 11:30pm last night. We were exhausted. We said good-night and then - I was totally awake.  I mean I was so awake my eyes didn't even want to shut.  I lay there just staring up into the darkness thinking WHY AM I AWAKE? The next thing I know, Mr. Yesteryear Acres says that he was WIDE awake. He always falls asleep within 2.4 seconds of hitting the pillow, yet there he lay - wide awake.  He asked me if I wanted to go watch TV. And so we did.  We watched some of our recorded TV shows that we love and didn't have the time to watch during the week. At 12:30am, Mr. Yesteryear Acres started talking about popcorn.  Popcorn this. Popcorn that. OH how he just LOVES popcorn. Don't you love the smell of popcorn? Doesn't popcorn sound REALLY YUMMY? Mr. Yesteryear Acres never makes popcorn, he just loves to hint and hint and hint until I get up and make it because I love popcorn so much that it doesn't take much to get me craving it.  I looked at my watch and said, "Do you know what time it is??" His reply was, "POPCORN TIME!!" And he said it with a big grin.  A big I love you soooo much and really really want popcorn grin. I am sure you already guessed that I got up and made popcorn. So we had our movie after all.  Complete with popcorn. This morning we woke up at the same time we always do and we were not even tired.  Seems like we just needed a night at the movies.  Even if it was the late late late show.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Friendliest Doggie on the Planet

Do you know what the friendliest doggie on the planet is?  Can you guess? If you guess a doodle you are ALMOST right. You are sooo close.  Try again.....Did you guess a soaking WET doodle? OH man! You are really really really close now!!!  Try one more time........Did you guess a soaking wet doodle dripping with mud??? YES! You got it!!!! Nothing is more friendly, more loving, more endearing than a doodle drenched from the soaking rains and absolutely covered in wet dripping mud.  Something about the muddy legs and the muddy paws and the muddy chin just BEGS for you to come and love it and pet it and be its very best friend. We are being deluged with non-stop rains.  Today's total rainfall - 2.5 INCHES.  Yes 2.5 INCHES of solid rain.  There is nothing in our backyard that isn't under water.  Our "creek" is now a class 5 rapids!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres had to crawl - excuse me - I mean SWIM - in the culvert to make sure all the debris was cleared out as there is just so much water moving through our property. I could almost create an entire white water rafting trip in our yard! We have standing areas of mud upon mud upon mud.  I am talking about sinking up to your knees mud.  Just walking to the car requires rubber hip boots! Our stepping stones have sunk. Our grass is gone. Just mud and puddles and mud and....lots and lots of doggie prints running through the mud. And those doggies are just begging to run back inside the house and share all the love in their hearts. My little Scooter loves to jump on my lap the second he comes back inside so that he can dry his little paws off on my shirt. Isn't he thoughtful?  Tomorrow we are expecting....MORE RAIN!  I think I might just give up and wear my big yellow "Gordon's Fisherman" rain suit all day long.  And yes, I do mean even INSIDE the house.  I will just pretend I returned from a exhilarating fishing trip and haven't had time to get out of my rain gear.  Every now and then I will just jump in the shower (rainsuit still on of course) and hose off.  I know that allll this rain is supposedly good for flowers and trees and ponds and fishies but seriously - please stop raining.  I didn't have time to build an ark. Blub...gurgle...blub.....someone please tell the Sun to come BACK!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Small Packets of Smiles

For me, life is made up of infinitesimal small packets of ordinary happenings. Yes there are a few big important vital moments that happen every year but overall, life is just a weaving of this and that. One day turns into the next day and so on. Before you know it February is gone and March is here and the next time you turn around summer is upon us. The trick is to look at each day and see all the little things that can add up to a lot of happiness. Sometimes when you look - you can find happiness all around. Other times it takes a bit more work. You actually have to make time to find something special about your day. If you practice hard enough - you will find that happiness falls down upon you as easily as a gentle rain shower in the spring. Today I had one of those days. Nothing particularly overwhelming or out of the ordinary but nonetheless small packets of smiles and happiness were all around me. Mr. Yesteryear Acres made one of our big runs to the warehouse club this morning and filled our van up with goodies.  Goodies for the doggies. Goodies for the puppies. Goodies for the family and goodies for me. He came home in time to have lunch together and we had the most delicious lunch. It was SCRUMPTIOUS.  We both were smiling with every bite.  Tonight he is making his special salad with the blue cheese and orange citrus dressing and I can hardly wait.  Just thinking about his yummy salad kept a smile on my face all day long.  He found the most perfect yellow cherry tomatoes at the store and they just pop in your mouth with sweet tomato rich flavor.  mmmm.  While waiting for tonight's gourmet treat, I got a lot of work done and small packets of smiles were to be found all day.
All the laundry is washed.
The dishes are done.
I didn't need to use a calculator all day long. LOL
My son texted me just to tell me that he was having a good day.
My daughter surprised me by making me a tall glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.
Something I bought 2 weeks ago went on SUPER sale and I called customer service and was immediately credited the difference. (That gave me a BIG smile!) 
Our puppies are getting to the ridiculously cute stage and every time I walk into the kitchen this one puppy that reminds me of an adorable polar bear cub, just rolls onto his back and waits for me to come and rub his belly. He is beyond cute!
I even got off my big (and sadly I do mean big) winter butt and went to the arboretum and walked for exercise.
I feel quite accomplished. I was keenly aware of how much my lethargic winter behavior has cost me physically as I was perhaps huffing and puffing a bit too much - but I did it. Day one. I am ready for spring to arrive and to get back into shape. That is how life at Yesteryear Acres is.  Nothing incredibly earth shattering. Nothing particularly "WOW YOU DID THAT TODAY!?" but just an even tone of Life is good.  Life is enjoyable. Life is full of smiles and happy thoughts and puppy snuggles. As always, I feel blessed and grateful. My little bits of happiness all weave together into one beautiful life.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Mission Accomplished

TA DA!!!! I AM DONE! I finished alllll my taxes AND I did alllll the financial aid paperwork. Done. Signed. Sealed. Delivered! Whew! I started this morning again bright and early and finished right before 7pm this evening.  Yesterday, I didn't stop all day - not even to eat - so last night's dinner was what I deemed "Casual Dinner Night."  My daughter asked how casual....like cereal for dinner casual? It was close. The evening before I whipped up a big batch of egg salad so last night's dinner was egg salad sandwiches.  It was far from fancy - but it fit the bill. No dishes. No mess. No preparation time.  We really don't have too many quick dinners around here so I figured I was due.  I mean 12 hours working on taxes does not lead one to be motivated in the kitchen. I figured I would have to make up for it today so I took a small break at 3:00pm and got a big roasting chicken ready for the oven. The rest of the afternoon, I was tortured by the smell of roast chicken cooking. Mmmmm. My mouth was watering and my stomach was growling for most of the day. It was a good kind of torture. Now that I have accomplished my goal of the ever so fun, ever so enjoyable, ever so intensive taxes - what's next? Well puppy things of course!  Tomorrow is toe nail trimming, puppy playing, outside recess fun day! The weather is supposed to be delightful so I am planning on taking Roxy's and Fiona's puppies out for some fun playtime.  They are always hysterical on their first adventures outdoors.  They have big wide eyes wondering just what the heck they are supposed to do.  3 short days later -they are running around like champs.  They quickly learn to love nature as much as I do.  I am looking forward to some fresh air and puppy love! No more calculators!!! YEA!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

12 Straight Hours

This morning I awoke early and went directly upstairs to my dungeon for the day. I was armed with coffee, pen, paper, calculator, glasses and determination. Yes - today was LET'S GET THESE TAXES DONE day. I began the arduous task at 7:30am and didn't emerge from my self imposed exile until 7:30pm this evening. It was a long day. It was a boring day. It was a hungry day as I didn't even stop to eat. It was a day where I needed to find ONE receipt and went through an entire banker's box full of receipts paper by paper by paper by paper until the pile on my lap overflowed onto the floor. And where was the missing and lost receipt? I kid you not - it was the VERY last receipt at the bottom of the box. I suppose the only thing worse than going through every receipt for an entire calendar year and finding the one receipt you need at the very bottom is going through every receipt for a calendar year and NOT finding the one you need at the very bottom! I am glad I found it.  Even though I clearly could do a MUCH MUCH MUCH better job of organizing my files, I actually did better this year on keeping what I needed together.  I had itemized piles and for once I found every single thing I was looking for. It was a good feeling. I am pretty much done with all my taxes and I feel ever so proud of myself. First thing tomorrow morning, Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I will go through every single item and triple check everything for accuracy. Then I can send it all off to the IRS and be DONE!!! YEA! After that, I need to spend the rest of the day updating all the college financial aid stuff. Once I finish that.....I say that I deserve a GOLD medal! Or maybe two gold medals!  I need a reward! I need a party! I am thinking that perhaps on Friday afternoon - a Double Feature movie watching marathon might be in order.  Popcorn, cold drinks, feet propped up, puppy on the lap, smile on the face, movie watching luxury happiness! Yes! That is the ticket! I think I will start planning for it now. Friday = Funday!  Let's make it happen!