Yesteryear Acres - Doodle Days

Right Again!

2012-01-29T15:53:00.001-05:00

To say that Mr. Yesteryear Acres is diligent about safety would be an understatement. He is Mr. Safety. Way back when, long before we started raising cute puppies, Mr. Yesteryear Acres was the Health, Environmental and Safety officer at his work. He is that same person here. Lock the doors, password protect this, password protect that, lock the doors, never give out info over a cell phone, burn all the mail, shred old receipts, never use public Wi-Fi, lock the doors... did I mention lock the doors? We are as secure as an armored tank here. Once in a while his commitment to safety is a little annoying. I mean it is ALL the time. Well wouldn't you know it -Mr. Yesteryear Acres was right! My credit card number was hacked! ARGH! I mean if it isn't bad enough to have someone STEAL your credit card number - I now have to listen to Mr. Yesteryear Acres go on and on about how easy it is for people to steal your information. It wasn't even my fault! I didn't leave my credit card out for someone to copy it. I didn't leave my purse at a restaurant. I didn't drop my credit card at a store. I used my credit card online. I was checking in for my flight home on a wireless network and paid for my luggage online to save the extra fee at the airport. That is it. That is ALL I did and evidently within seconds of me entering my numbers online - my credit card info was stolen. Over the Wi-Fi. ARGH! Luckily my credit card company is awesome and had a fraud alert notice within an hour. I guess they figured I really didn't need SEVEN charges of $251.76 from USPS. Or new tools in exact increments - 9 times in a row. I now get to have a brand new credit card with brand new numbers. And you know what that means. I have to change EVERYTHING that automatically gets charged to my account. Water, Electric, Gas, Cable etc. You know the drill. Just when I had the old credit card info memorized! I suppose by the time I am done fixing all my accounts I will have the new one memorized. You can bet though that all this work will be done over a SECURE network. Darn that Mr. Yesteryear Acres. Right again!

BIRTHDAY GIRL

2012-01-28T16:55:00.002-05:00

Today is my younger daughter's birthday. This is her very first birthday away from home. sigh. I am not sure who told Father Time to keep on ticking but honestly - days like today make me wish it would just slow down a little. I miss her so much today, as I do every single day, but I know she is where she is meant to be. So Happy Birthday my sweet sunshine who

Loves Puppies

And Loves Stuffed Animals

And Loves Ice Cream

And Loves Chocolate Cake

And Loves Surprises

And Loves Swimming

And Loves Snowflakes.....

You

haven't

changed

bit

Happy Birthday my puppy loving, ice cream and cake loving, swimming loving, snowflake loving, surprise loving, stuffed animal loving sweet daughter. I love you and miss you! Hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!

Run Run Run Around

2012-01-27T16:33:00.001-05:00

Today was Run Errand day. I had tons of errands to run so I consolidated everything to make it one big RUN errand day. Well technically I think today was WALK errand day. Well technically I think today was DRIVE, HOBBLE, errand day. Although technically I CAN walk now - it isn't very fast. I am not really running anywhere. I am what you might say taking the scenic route. Oh look at that puddle. Same puddle. Still looking at puddle. Wonder when I will ever make it to the other side of that puddle. Man that puddle is big. When will it ever end. Gee I am soaked! You get the picture. My morning started out with the infamous, "MOM I forgot my........" text so my first errand of the day was already plotted. My son had a French Food project for French Class. Last night he decided to make a loaf of French Bread - from scratch. I supervised the project but he did everything himself and did a good job. The baguette wasn't exactly beautiful but it was pretty darn close. So what did he forget to bring to school this morning? THE BAGUETTE! ARGH. Luckily I am the nicest sweetest mom in the WHOLE world (right son?) and got the bread to his school on time. I also went to the bank, post office, store, County Clerks office etc. I made a day of it. It was nice to get out and actually DRIVE the car! It is the first time I have driven since November! Tomorrow I think I will step up my game and make it "Clean the House Day!" Oooooh ahhhh. I think I might have to start with something like - unpacking my suitcase. It is sitting right here staring at me. I believe it is mocking me. It is thinking, Ha ha ha ha - I have ALL your summer clothes and you can't wear them anymore! Enjoy the ice rain! Darn suitcase. Perhaps I should make that my first assignment of the day. Either that or continue to ignore it. One of those ideas is definitely in the works!

Family

2012-01-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

For anyone who has ever had a medical emergency come up - you know how quickly a turn of events can unfold. One minute life is perfect and running along smoothly and the very next - your whole world kind of crumbles around you. It happens in an instant. At that exact moment your every thought is how much you cherish your family, how much you treasure your life, how much you treasure all your blessings. Your world has come into precise focus and you know without a doubt what is and what is not important. We have had some very close calls here at Yesteryear Acres and in having close calls we never take a day for granted. We are sure to be thankful for all we have been given. When it comes down to it - the only thing that matters is family. I know I cherish mine. I know I am thankful for mine each and every single day. I am love them with every fiber of my being and I am blessed to be loved that much right back. I have the most beautiful loving family and I am grateful for them all the days of my life. And so on this "not so much happening - regular good ole Thursday" I am filled with happiness and gratefulness and love. Shouldn't every Thursday be so lucky?

111 times....SAY CHEESE!

2012-01-25T16:20:00.001-05:00

111. As in One Hundred Eleven. That is how many professional pictures my mom, sister and I took on our cruise. This does not even include our gabillion pictures we took on our own cameras. Nope. This is just how many poses we did with the professional photographers onboard the ship. Staggering isn't it?! Not only did we pose 111 times - but I heard 111 times, "PLEASE make this a nice picture"!!!! My mom said that at least that many times. I don't know what she is talking about!

Look how nice this picture is. Can you see my serious camera smile? My sister and I are SO nice!!!!

I would never ever joke around with the photographers!

Or make people crack up!

I would like to say at this point - we had attracted a crowd and now had a following. Everyone wanted to see what kind of picture we would do the next night!

The answer......America's Next Top Model!!!! Of course!

The photographer liked our style so much - he wanted a photo of his own.

Check out my hair. Classic good stuff right there!!!!

Just so you know - no matter WHAT my mom says - I can be nice for the camera!

Even if we are stacked up like building blocks!

My mom literally had to crawl in through the picture frame for this shot. You should see the other 12 photos of us laughing hysterically that I didn't post!

OOOOH SISTER Picture!!!!!!

Awwwwww

And Last....But certainly not least....Our Bahamas picture. We took the same picture from this exact spot when we traveled together almost 12 years ago. All I can say is....Please, Please, Please - when my mom, sister and I take our next trip 10 years from now - do not let me look back at this picture and say, "Look how much thinner and younger we were back then!" I want to say, "I look exactly the same!!!!!"

Home Sweet Puppy Home!!!

2012-01-24T17:48:00.002-05:00

I am back home! Oh my the puppies REALLY grew while I was away!!! I almost didn't recognize them as they grew so much! As soon as I walked in the door I got a entire symphony of little bark bark barks and TONS of tail wagging. They are all so adorable. I scooped them all up and had a great evening. Today Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I took new pictures of all the puppies. I have to say.....they are SO ADORABLE!!!!

I think this puppy REALLY missed me!!!!

No wait....THIS puppy really missed me!

Scarlet and McGyver have the cutest little puppies!

Look how big our Goldendoodle babies are! When I left they still had little pink noses and their eyes were still closed. They are sooooo cute now!

Eloise's puppy says, "I am cute too!"

Ooooh he is soooooo soft and cuddly!

Puppy Snuggles!!!!

Farewell!

2012-01-23T21:44:00.001-05:00

I don't think I have ever had so many "good-byes" before! Hugs and pictures and more hugs and more pictures. I was very touched by all the cruise passengers that said how we just made their week. A lot of people told me that they really had the very best time and thanked me. I am amazed at how much people appreciate a smile and regular good old fashioned kindness. I try to smile every day - and I brought my smiles with me on the cruise and shared the happiness with everyone I met. I had many people tell me that they loved being around someone so happy. I was thinking who wouldn't be SUPER HAPPY on a cruise?!!! I am happy all the time ....even when cleaning puppy poop so of course I am SUPER SUPER happy on a cruise!!!! The goodbyes were all sweet. Everyone from the cruise passengers to the housekeeping staff to the dining stewards to the entertainment people all looked for us to personally say their goodbyes. I will miss you all dear cruise people BUT......Mr. Yesteryear Acres............I AM COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that is the biggest smile of all!

Say Cheese!!!

2012-01-22T18:41:00.002-05:00

If you have ever traveled on a cruise ship then you will know that the photographers are everywhere. They love to take your picture as soon as you get on the ship. They love to take your picture when you go to dinner. They love to take your picture when you get off the ship, while you walk through the ship, while you are dressed up, while you are in your swimsuit, while you are playing games or any chance they can find you. I normally just pose for one or two pictures and then kind of sneakily avoid them. Well my mom and sister wanted to buy a complete picture package of our trip here and the package they chose includes ALL the pictures the photographers take. So we have taken a lot of photos. By a lot, I mean A LOT. We have the biggest folder you have ever seen. Most people who buy that package just get the formal pose on formal night and a couple of poses in various ports. Not us. We have made it a mission to do ALL the pictures and ALL the poses for the entire cruise. I am fairly certain we have over 100 pictures. Of course as we continued to take more and more pictures - I began to get more and more silly with my poses. I mean honestly - how many "camera smile" pictures can one person look at? My mom keeps saying make this a NICE pose PLEASE. So I say, "Like this?" and then I do my very best Charlie's Angel's pose. Or I do America's Next Top Model super pose. Each day the photographers put up all the pictures they took the night before. As the trip has gone on - evidently the thing to do for the other passengers is to go look at our pictures. We have people coming up to us all day long telling us that they LOVE looking at our pictures. They can't wait to see our pictures each day. Last night I started getting invited to be in other people's pictures. So if your grandma or grandpa happened to have been on a cruise - and you see someone that has curly hair, 2 silver crutches and a huge smile.....well it might be me!!! Say Cheese!

Old Man Winter

2012-01-21T16:21:00.002-05:00

So I hear that perhaps winter has set in back home. I have heard that it is REALLY COLD. And VERY SNOWY. And even HORRIBLY ICY. I have to admit that while of course I am very sad and sorry for all those that are cold - I may have slightly smiled when I heard Old Man Winter had finally arrived. It isn't like I WANT everyone to be cold back home but as I am one to thoroughly enjoy the moment I am living in.....My moment happens to be sun-filled and warm. I am sure you are not smiling when you get the reverse news. I am in the warm sun - you are in the cold winter - but I assure you the warm sun brings lots of smiles. Lots and Lots! My younger daughter told me to soak it all in because I will never find it again once I get back home. So I will listen to her and soak it all in. Maybe if I am really really lucky I can keep a little of it to bring home with me. You never know. Stay warm! I am thinking of you all.

YMCA! Sing it with me!!!

2012-01-20T18:34:00.002-05:00

Every night my mom and sister and I go to whatever "game show" the cruise is putting on. One night it was Battle of the Sexes, another night was Name that Tune. We are very good at game playing so we love to participate. Last night the game of the evening was called "Sea Quest". The show lounge was divided up into 4 sections and each section had a team captain. Surprise Surprise - my sister and I were the team captain for Team One. The game involved some running back and forth to the game show host so my sister was the official runner. The object of the game was to have your team produce whatever the host asked for and be the first team to run to the host with your team number and the asked for item. We had our team VERY excited to participate. We got the ball rolling earlier in the evening and had the lounge doing the "YMCA" dance...from their chairs. I said, 'Come on people!! You can do it even from your scooters and wheel chairs!" At first everyone was very quiet and hesitant but with more encouragement we had pretty much everyone dancing along. "Y M CA its fun to stay at the YMCA!" By the time the game officially started our team was warmed up and ready for action! The host asked for various odd objects such as car keys (which NO one had because who would be driving on a cruise vacation?) We substituted scooter keys for the car keys and immediately had them by the boat load! Combs, empty purses, picture of grandchildren, picture of the White House (found that one on currency), belts, shoelaces - you name it. It was a race to get everything up to the host as fast as we could. When the host asked for false teeth.......well yes we got them too. My sister never grabbed a napkin so quickly in her entire life!!!!!! I am sure it is no surprise that we won. Everyone on our team got........BINGO CARDS! We have now pretty much reached hero status onboard. Of course we gave our bingo cards away and now all day long we have been asked if we will be at the game show tonight. Yes. Yes we will...because everyone knows it is fun to stay at the YMCA!

That Made My Heart Smile

2012-01-19T21:39:00.002-05:00

I have to say I have become quite popular on the cruise. I have people coming up to me all day long asking how I am doing and how my ankle is. I have several people that remind me to take it slow and to put my foot up. I am surrounded by many new grandmas and grandpas I never knew I had. It is now to the point that we have people join us in what we are doing. We have a table for four each dinner - and of course that leaves one seat open. The first few nights the chair remained empty but the other night we had an elderly gentleman come and sit with us because he wanted to share the evening with the happiest looking group he ever saw. This has led to other people wanting to sit with us and so we never know who will come and join us. I have heard a lot of sad tales about people losing their loved ones. I can hardly keep the tears back. There are a lot of older single people traveling on this cruise. Last night a man named George sat with us. I guessed George's age to be around 65 tops. Nope! He is 81. He shared with us how he lost his wife and he has never been the same since. He also said he really wanted to go to the show that evening. Well the show wasn't exactly my cup of tea - but I didn't tell George that and said I would go with him. The entertainer sang all the old classics. And by old I mean "Camp Town Ladies" and "The Saints Come Marching In". You should have seen the entire Vista Lounge light up with the clapping with "Oh When the Saints...." All through the show George kept saying, "Don't you love this?" and "Oh I am so happy to sit with you" and "You make my heart smile". So when George asked me at the end of the show, "Didn't you just love that?" I turned to George and said that I Loved it. And you know...I really did.

Well ... The Horse is a Surprise!

2012-01-18T15:25:00.002-05:00

If you have ever seen the animated movie "The Road to El Dorado" you might remember the scene where Tulio and Miguel are in a rowboat, lost at sea, almost near death, with a HORSE in the boat. I think it was Miguel who asks Tulio, "Did you think it would end like this?" And Tulio says, " Well, the horse is a surprise". So my mom and my sister and I took a whale watching expedition trip yesterday. We got picked up off our ship in Samana Dominican Republic. We were herded onto a very small "boat" with a "metal" roof. I distinctly remember saying to my mom, "Don't worry - I am sure this is just the boat that takes you to the whale watching boat". We were packed in so tightly that there was no air space between us. The boat had obstructed views and was quite cramped. The first thing the captain said was everyone had to put a life jacket on. Okay. We all obliged. Then we found out that this was indeed the "boat" for the day. We took off in what I consider stormy seas and we spent the next 90 minutes packed in shoulder to shoulder, butt to butt, on our journey to see the whales. The bay is notorious for having over 3,000 humpback whales each winter. As we continued towards the bay - every wave we hit brought down gallons of cold water on our heads. Wave. Splash. Wave. Splash. We had to close our eyes to prevent the river of seawater from blinding us. About halfway to the bay - the symphony of seasickness began. One by one the sardine squished whale watchers started getting sick. Wave. Splash. Vomit. Wave. Splash. Vomit. Seasick bag after seasick bag was passed out to the passengers and believe me - they were ALL full. When we finally made it to the bay - the captain said that although the bay USUALLY has 3,000 whales - today there are only 3. Three whales. That is all. I mean we DID get to see the whales - which was AWESOME but you could only see them if you could kind of lean and squeeze your head through a small opening between other people's shoulder blades. It was tricky. Only the people on one side of the boat could see - and even with that - only the people lucky enough to be on the end had a view. So we sat for an hour and saw the 3 whales - maybe 3-4 times and then.....it was time to go back. Wave. Splash. Vomit. Luckily my sister, my mom and I stayed strong and never got sick. We were drenched, teeth chattering and a bit beat up from the ride. When my sister asked if that was what I thought the whale watching trip would be like - the only thing I could say was, "Well the horse was a surprise!"

I Have Found My People!

2012-01-17T21:04:00.002-05:00

To say that my sister and I are the youngest people on this cruise would be a big understatement. Almost all the passengers on board have at least 20 years on us - some even more. Yes. I have found my people. I am in the land of canes and crutches and I fit right in! I am not the slowest walker/hobbler any more! There are still MANY people who can definitely beat me in a foot race here but there are an equal amount of people that I can keep pace with. I can walk as slowly as I would like - and no one minds. Everyone walks slowly and everyone is friendly and kind to me and my hobbling. Many of the passengers and I have become fast friends. I hear a lot of "Oh Bless your Heart" so I know I am completely blessed on this cruise and in good company. I have heard many stories from other passengers on how they broke their hip/wrist/ankle/leg so we can all swap our various injury stories. Amazingly - no one I have talked to so far has broken their leg/ankle outrunning a wild pack of cheetahs whilst escaping a horrific volcano eruption during an adventurous rock climbing expedition. Just me. Of course I say it was either that or I slipped in the mud. Oddly - everyone automatically assumes it was the fall in the mud that did me in. Go figure. We have had some good laughs and I am finding myself surrounded by a lot of really nice thoughtful friendly people. Guess I better go. I am needed for a "Name that Tune" trivia challenge. We will have the music of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and today ALL covered! We will win this thing!!!!!

Internet...where for art thou?

2012-01-16T15:35:00.002-05:00

Despite the advertised promise of "Wi-Fi available for purchase" - I think maybe they don't quite know that most people like wi-fi internet service that is reliable. And stays on. And doesn't quit in the middle of sending an email. Or only downloads a partial email. Or doesn't load at all. I purchased the wi-fi package that is the equivalent cost of almost 3 months of service at home only to have it stuck in "Checking for Mail" mode for EVER. The only package that is available is a by the minute package and it took 26 minutes to upload one blog post. ARGH! I am so sorry if I miss someone's email to me or facebook posting. I will not give up my many attempts to log on and retrieve my email but I am afraid my correspondence will be lacking. I will do my very best to stay in touch but if somehow my posts don't make it or my replies never get to you - I promise to re-post and re-send everything once I return. Until then I will be faithfully writing and responding each and every day. Talk to you soon!

A Few Extra Scratches Behind the Ear

2012-01-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

I am off on my big adventure with my mom and sister. I am leaving all the cold weather behind and heading towards sunshine and warm warm warm blue skies. I already miss Mr. Yesteryear Acres. One of the very best parts of working from home is that we are always together. We eat lunch together. We have our morning coffee together. We work together. We play together. We have fun with the doggies together. Mr. Yesteryear Acres is a huge part of my every day existence. I always think about how fun my adventures will be but then the second I depart, I miss him so terribly. I just love Mr. Yesteryear Acres. He is my very best friend. He will be taking care of all the puppies and all the work and as always - Mr. Yesteryear Acres will be doing an awesome job. He is a doggie's very best friend too. The puppies and doggies all love him and I will know the doggies will all get a ton of love and probably a few extra scratches behind the ear while I am gone. I have a feeling Mr. Yesteryear Acres misses me as much as I miss him. Thanks Mr. Yesteryear Acres. I will be home soon!!!!!!

Happy Toes

2012-01-14T16:56:00.002-05:00

So despite the fact my ankle looks like it swallowed a softball, I am making progress on my mobility. I called and talked to the nurse at the surgeons office and she said the swelling was normal so I am going to take her word for it. I was worried because it looks worse now than when I broke it. Hopefully she is right and this is just part of the healing process. I have been able to get up and down the stairs in an upright position so this is a great improvement. I am all done doing the butt scoot up the stairs! That part is awesome! I am also able to let all the doggies in and out of the house all by myself which is another huge improvement. The doggies are all happy with the progress. My mom must be happy too because she came over with some presents for me. My surgeon wants me to wear a lace up sneaker so my mom came over with brand new shoes and new socks for me. I have SUPER soft knee high socks for my walking cast and then shorter really cute colorful socks for my ankle brace. I am totally outfitted with the cutest socks you have ever seen. Each day I can think about which cute sock I would like to wear and then I can just keep on trucking. One foot in front of the other! PROGRESS!

And she was there until the crinkles set in

2012-01-13T23:06:00.002-05:00

I have to say that my slowly healing broken leg/ankle is a bit sore. My pathetic little calf muscle is doing its very best but still has a long way to go. I am not sure why I thought I would magically be able to walk as soon as the big heavy cast came off, but in my mind, I figured I would just sail right out of the doctor's office. I realize now that it is going to take a little bit of time before my leg is fully functioning. Distances that appear to be short at first glance are a lot longer once I get hobbling along. So today, when I got the opportunity to soak in a real tub filled with real bubbles and real hot steamy water - I took it. I took it and never looked back. Once I slipped into the hot lovely comforting luxurious bath - I almost never got back out again. Water. Real Water. Hot water to soak in. Bubbles to sit in. OH MY. It felt sooooooooo good. I missed water. I missed soaking in a tub. I missed it sooooo much. I don't think I have ever appreciated a tub quite as much as I did today. My calf muscle thanked me. My healing leg thanked me. My ankle thanked me. My skin thanked me. I thanked the water right back. I stayed in until I was nothing but crinkles! Ahhhh. Heaven. A bath full of hot steamy water and me. I think I am going to have to do it all again tomorrow!!!!

Cleared for Take-Off

2012-01-12T08:46:00.003-05:00

A little over 12 years ago my mother asked my sister and I if we would like to make a commitment together to take a vacation every 5-10 years - just us girls. As you can imagine we both quickly said, "YES!" We had never gone anywhere just the 3 of us and in addition at that time in our lives we hadn't had the opportunity to go on many vacations. Both my sister and I were wondering where we would go. State Park? Camping? Maybe even something as fabulous as going to the Sunshine State? Where would our mom take us? Well she surprised us by taking us on a cruise! We couldn't believe it. We were SO excited. A cruise was something we had always dreamed of but never in our whole lives did we think we would actually go on one. When we boarded the ship I couldn't hold back the tears of happiness.It was beyond my greatest vacation dream come true. We had the best time ever. Here we are......a LONG time ago.

See how long ago? I am DEFINITELY less fluffy. This is back in the day where having our picture taken in a bathing suit was not followed by an immediate reaction of "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Nooooooooooooooooo!" Look at my sister. She is wearing a bikini! This only proves we were soooo young because the word bikini is a four letter word now. Look at my mom. She has ummmmmmmmmm she has ummmmmmmmmm hair that is................not............."platinum". Maybe we look SLIGHTLY younger in this picture than how we appear now. Slightly less fluffy too. Although I still say fluffiness is cute right?! RIGHT?!

Here is my sister and I this Christmas saying, "We look EXACTLY the same!"

Here's my mom saying, "Of COURSE we do sweetie!"

2 years ago my mom started planning another fabulous cruise for the 3 of us and of course we could barely contain our excitement! I love my sister! I love my mom! I love a big huge cruise ship with endless food and entertainment and views of the ocean! Our trip was set when..............yes someone decided to fall in slippery mud and break an ankle, rip a tendon and lose the use of a precious and much loved leg for the past 6+ weeks. The trip looked doomed. Even my surgeon said the trip looked doomed. Well yesterday the surgeon said as long as I was careful.....I was cleared for take-off! I got permission to go! So next week - Bon Voyage! My mom and my sister and I will still have our vacation together! Now while I can promise you lots of smiles, I can promise you pictures, I can promise you stories, what I cannot and will not promise is a picture of my sister and I in swimsuits! Especially in a bikini!! You are welcome. I knew you were worried that we would try to recreate the magic of that picture. Don't worry though....the smiles will be the same!!!!!!!!!!

First Phase????

2012-01-11T11:56:00.003-05:00

Well I am back from the orthopedic surgeon's office. I had new x-rays taken and everything is healing nicely. In fact the surgeon said - the first phase has gone well. First phase? As in more than one phase??? I wasn't aware of additional phases. In my mind....my cast would come off and I would walk out of there a happy woman free and easy and able to carry a cup of coffee!!!!!!! Not so fast. I have merely graduated to a walking boot cast. I have to use the walking cast and crutches for the next week or two. I was also fitted with a brand new awesomely attractive ankle brace! OOOOH. I have to wear the ankle brace for the next month all the time, and then the following month I have to wear it any time I am exercising or walking a long distance. Evidently this beautiful ankle brace can only be worn with a lace up sneaker. Guess what I don't own? Yep. I don't have a single sneaker! I know you are thinking HOW can that be possible! Well in the summer I have my most awesome and well loved walking sandals. I LOVE my walking sandals. I wear them all the time. I wear them hiking. I wear them in the woods. I wear them when I do my 3-5 mile walks. I love them. In the winter I wear boots. See? No need for sneakers! Now I need sneakers. I have to wear sneakers for the next TWO months. NO other shoe is allowed!!! Hmmm. This is not how I envisioned the day going. I also didn't envision that when I stood up when I got down from the examining table that I would almost fall over. I mean in my mind - my leg would hurt and I can deal with that. What I didn't plan for was my leg NOT TO WORK. I literally lost all my muscle mass in my leg so I have to wear the walking cast to build up some muscle. I also tore the tendon that attaches the Achilles tendon to the calf muscle which still is not healed. I have to use crutches and slowly increase the amount of weight I can put on my leg. Once I can support my weight fully, then for the next week I have to use my walking cast without crutches and move on to using a cane. Then I get to graduate to my ankle brace while using a cane for the next 2 weeks and then after that - just the ankle brace for the next 2 months or so. Does that sound like someone carrying a cup of coffee today? Does that sound like someone who was ready to throw the crutches up in the attic FOREVER? Hmmmm. Also - remember how I was going to wear REAL JEANS? Not with the walking boot cast. Argh. More skirts. More crutches. More time. I had to turn in my fancy knee scooter and say a tearful goodbye. Now it is just me and my boot and my crutches. Hobble Hobble Hobble. PHASE TWO BEGINS!!!!! I guess I am ready. One two hobble hobble......one hobble at a time!!!!

Last Hop-a-long... Roll-a-long Day!

2012-01-10T18:03:00.005-05:00

Oh I cannot WAIT until tomorrow morning! I go see the orthopedic surgeon and if all goes well...the cast comes OFF! I will be able to WALK AGAIN! Well maybe not exactly walk but at least I will be able to hobble! My broken leg is soooooooo tiny. It is a supermodel leg! It is the smallest most slender leg you have ever seen. It makes my other leg seem ginormous! Each day when my bandage gets changed, I have watched my bad leg ever so slowly disappear. It is astonishing how quickly a muscle can shrink! I have virtually no calf muscle whatsoever. I am thinking the first few steps might be somewhat challenging. Even so - nothing is more challenging than not walking at all! I have rolled around my house here for 6+ weeks. The only times I have gone out of the house were for Christmas and to the surgeon's office. It has been a long 6 weeks! I can't bring my dinner plate to the dining room. I can't bring a puppy from one room to the other. I can't bring a cup of coffee with me.....ONE MORE DAY and I can do all of those things! Oh I cannot wait to CARRY something and go from one room to the next! I can tell you that without a doubt - if you want to appreciate something that perhaps you might take for granted, such as getting your own cup of coffee, try doing without and you will be ever so grateful to be able to do that again the rest of your life! Walking down the driveway in the pouring rain to get the mail....GRATEFUL! Carrying a load of laundry upstairs....GRATEFUL! Getting a glass of water when I am thirsty and not waiting an hour for someone to come in the house to get it for me....GRATEFUL! Washing my own clothes and then folding them and then putting them away....GRATEFUL! Walking upstairs and going to bed at night....GRATEFUL! Wearing REAL LIFE JEANS.....GRATEFUL! I am just one day away from putting on a real pair of pants! Goodbye skirts!!!! Oh my dear skinny leg...I HAVE MISSED YOU! This is the LAST Hop-a-long, Roll-a-long day!

Oh boy! Oh Boy! OH BOY!

2012-01-09T13:55:00.003-05:00

Something must be in the water here at Yesteryear Acres. Something that makes us all say...."Oh boy! Oh Boy!! OH BOY!!!!" This is what we said when Juneau delivered her babies. She had 12 pups and 10 of them were boys. This is what we said when Cheyenne delivered her babies. She had 6 pups. All were boys. This is what we said when Eloise delivered her babies. We said, "Oh BOY!" seven times in a row. Number 8 was ....A GIRL!!! So when Ginger delivered her puppies and we had FIVE girls - we thought the "something in the water" disappeared. Well wouldn't you know it. Phoebe didn't want to be left out. Phoebe didn't want Ginger to have ALL the brand new Goldendoodle baby attention. Phoebe who barely looked pregnant and we were all sure the breeding did NOT take, decided she would do her very best to make us all say, "OH BOY!" once again. First baby born....OH BOY! and OH BOY! as one was followed quickly by the other. She wanted to make sure we were wide awake and ready for the big event. This was followed by a nice leisurely nap and then one hour later...OH boy again! We ended up saying OH BOY .....7 times! We were quite pleased with our little bundle of 7 boys. Phoebe looked quite proud as well. She kept smiling and wagging her little tail saying - look at my 7 beautiful bouncing baby boys. 2 hours later, Phoebe's smile was a little bit bigger. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I did a double take. We counted and then recounted. EIGHT! Number 8 arrived without a lot of fanfare but.......OH GIRL! Look at the sweet little babies.......

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy......OH girl!

The picture was taken right after they were born so they are all new and pink. The nose pigment doesn't develop for a few days. When the new pictures are posted next week, the puppies will all have black noses. In case you didn't know - little boy puppies make AWESOME doggie companions! They are SO loveable. They love everyone and are nice and easy going. Another awesome thing about boy doggies is.....how do I put this delicately....their "plumbing" is on the outside. This means no puppy vaginitis, rarely if ever puppy UTI (Urinary Tract Infections) and no stitches when it is time to get neutered. A quick in and out and a bag of frozen peas will do the trick! It is far less expensive too. So YEA for OH BOYS!

Step Up My Game

2012-01-08T18:09:00.000-05:00

Last night Mr. Yesteryear Acres walked in the door way past dinner time -it was almost bed time before he arrived home. He had been delayed in Annapolis and didn't get to leave the Naval Academy until well into the afternoon. My daughter needed some last minute emergency help from Mr. Yesteryear Acres and as always - he saved the day. He is the most reliable and most dependable Hero of the Day (I might even go as far to say he is my hero each and every day). With my daughter's endless gratitude Mr. Yesteryear Acres headed on home. Despite being really sleepy, Mr. Yesteryear Acres made it home safe and sound. When he walked in the door, I gave him my usual "Hi! SO GLAD you are home!' and hugged him and was super glad to see him. Evidently I need to step up my game. My dogs totally out shined me in in the welcome home department. My welcome home was like lukewarm bread and water while their welcome home was more like a fabulous Prime Rib Dinner with all the trimmings. I DID give Mr. Yesteryear Acres a hug hello. I DID tell Mr. Yesteryear Acres I was glad to see him but noooooooooooooo that was mere pittance compared to the stampede that ensued the moment the doggies heard Mr. Yesteryear Acres say. "I'm Home!" Suddenly all the doggies in the house came running towards Yesteryear Acres with their tails wagging on full speed. There were even audible whimpers of appreciation for his return. Kisses, hugs, tail wagging, prancing, a cornucopia of doggie dancing all hailing their mighty hero's great return. As far as they were concerned Mr. Yesteryear Acres had been gone for EONS. He had been gone so long they almost perished without him. And of course Mr. Yesteryear Acres was all smiles - hugging the doggies and laughing and so full of love and joy and .....hey WAIT A MINUTE! I think Mr. Yesteryear Acres was WAY more excited to see the doggies than he was to see me! Their greeting must have lasted 15 whole minutes. 15 minutes of jumping for joy. I think my greeting lasted 15 seconds. Something is wrong here. I need to definitely step up my game! I think next time I will have to have trumpets blaring, drill team marching, parade, floats, and a whole lot of cheering. MR. YESTERYEAR ACRES!!! YOU ARE HOME! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Popcorn and Movie Night

2012-01-07T16:58:00.000-05:00

Last night my son and I had popcorn and movie night. It was awesome! Just the two of us watching movies and taking it easy. I think we were both feeling the absence of our whole family being together so we took some time to enjoy each other's company and have some fun. He is just the best company. I know not many mothers can say that of their 15 year old sons. I am the lucky one. My son likes to hang out with me and I love hanging out with him. He is SO much fun to be with. He is caring and kind and funny and helpful and he absolutely cracks me up. He has the greatest sense of humor even if it leans heavily towards the sarcastic side. I can't imagine WHERE he got that!! We watched movies until after midnight surrounded by doggies and puppies and lots of laughter. The popcorn was pretty delicious too! I couldn't ask for a better Friday night! I am wondering if he would go for round two tonight.....GOOD PLAN!

Alone....Alone...ALONE!

2012-01-06T16:12:00.001-05:00

What IS this? I don't hear anything. I don't hear laughter. I don't hear commotion. I don't hear pots and pans or TV shows or radios blaring or doors slamming or ANYTHING. EVERYONE is GONE! WAH! I can't remember the last time I was ALL alone. It adds insult to my empty nest! Mr. Yesteryear Acres left early this morning to drive my older daughter back to the Naval Academy. Despite my stage of denial, despite my steadfast resolve to NOT believe she was leaving, despite my desperate attempts to secretly stash her in my home forever....she left! On time! Mr. Yesteryear Acres took her! And the puppies! My son is at school. My younger daughter is at college. My older daughter and Mr. Yesteryear Acres are on the road and here I sit....Alone. Just me and my broken leg/ankle. Just me and my cast. Just me and my shadow. No wait no shadow because despite what I am told about it being beautiful and sunny outside - I am all alone in the house with no sunshine. Sadness! I suppose if you are going to make a transition from happy house full of children to empty nest - you should just RIP the band aid off and do it with gusto. And so I am alone in the house listening to silence. Mr Yesteryear Acres won't be back until tomorrow! I swear I am not counting the minutes until my son gets off the bus from school. I swear I am not thinking of how much I would like my cup of coffee that is sitting in the microwave. I swear I am not thinking of how many more minutes until I hear the bus roll up the hill. I swear I will not pounce on my son the second he walks in the door. I probably should repeat that one because I don't actually want to accost him with YOU ARE HOME! I MISSED YOU! OH MY GOSH I AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE HOME! because after all he is 15 years old and I am thinking he would not quite appreciate my enthusiastic almost desperate welcome. So I won't count the minutes. Really. I am won't. 49.....48......47.......

That is SO not happening

2012-01-05T18:43:00.001-05:00

My older daughter is not going back to the United States Naval Academy at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Nope. No way. I have adamantly stuck by this statement all day. I am not in denial. It simply isn't happening. All day long we stuck to the fact she is SO not leaving in the morning. We had our "last" breakfast this morning, all the while talking about what we will have tomorrow....when she is CLEARLY still here. We had our "last" lunch this afternoon, all the while talking about how we have the same thing tomorrow...when CLEARLY she is still here. We watched movies as soon as we woke up, didn't pack, didn't move, ate popcorn, watched more movies because she is SO not leaving in the morning. In fact, at this very moment, while I am writing my blog, it may LOOK like she is packing up all her stuff, but it is merely a mirage. The huge piles of clothes, her sea bag, her Christmas gifts, her uniform, her boxes all sitting ready to go into the car is obviously a giant hologram. Tomorrow I cannot possibly be left here all alone while Mr. Yesteryear Acres drives my daughter back to the Naval Academy. That is so not happening! Time for another movie!

ONE MORE WEEK

2012-01-04T18:12:00.001-05:00

I have 7 days left of torture. Just 7. I have made it through 5 long weeks of having my leg in a cast. I can't walk anywhere. I can't go to the kitchen and heat up a cup of coffee and then bring it back to my computer area. I can't climb a step stool, bend down to the ground, or carry anything anywhere. It is an understatement to say that having a broken leg/ankle is frustrating. I cannot wait until I can take my first step again. I will never take walking for granted again! I will do my very best for the rest of my life to never complain about having to go exercise. I can't tell you how many times I wish I could go take a walk this past month and a half. In thinking back when I had two good legs, I realized I actually COMPLAINED about having to go walk for exercise. I made excuses up just so I wouldn't have to go take a walk. Those days are over. I will be sure to look at my exercise walks with a fresh new perspective. I will be grateful to be able to walk to the kitchen, walk to my pond, walk through the woods, walk through the grocery store, walk to my car. I haven't been able to drive or go anywhere or do much of anything since I fell over Thanksgiving weekend. My waist line is painfully aware of how much I have NOT done. It keeps growing and growing. Sitting around is not good for maintaining a healthy figure. (Eating ice cream every night evidently doesn't help either!) The second my cast comes off, I will WALK! I will smile when I walk! I will walk through the woods, I will walk in the rain, and in the snow, and in the heat and in the cold and I will be thankful for every step. ONE WEEK TO GO!!!! Dear cup of coffee so patiently waiting for me in the kitchen....I will see you soon!

Missing You

2012-01-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

Today I had to say goodbye to my younger daughter as she left to go back to college. I haven't had to do the goodbye after Christmas departure with her before. I can't say I enjoyed it. Either did she. We are both super sad and it seemed harder than usual to say our goodbyes. Christmas break was wonderful. All 3 kids home, laughing, having fun, spending all our time together - it was perfect. I hate it that reality has to be so harsh. My older daughter departs on Friday and with that - our time together is over. I know these moments together will become more and more rare as they get older. The other day my mother-in-law and I were looking at old photographs and she said - wouldn't it be nice if we could just keep them like that. I have to say - I wish I could keep them here forever. *Sniff Sniff* All I can do is try to remember one of my favorite quotes,
"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." ~Kahlil Gibran

I know I am blessed to feel so much sadness.... I have a family that fills me with that much love.

First Snowfall!

2012-01-02T18:27:00.001-05:00

Winter came by for a visit today! SNOW fell from the sky and slightly blanketed Yesteryear Acres for a little while. It caused much excitement! REAL SNOW! We haven't had snow all winter long! Every day is rain rain rain and more rain. To see real white beautiful snowflakes falling from the sky was a gorgeous and much awaited sight to see! The doodles were happy. The puppies were happy. The doggies were happy. AND the people were happy too! SNOW! YEA!

We got just a whisper of snow but still enough to bring smiles to everyone here at Yesteryear Acres

Blossom ran out to get the first taste

I LOVE the snow!!!!!!

I don't know what it is .....but I like it!

Can we play outside all day?

And have hot chocolate when we are done!

Eloise's little baby Goldendoodles stayed inside all snuggied together as warm as can be

Scarlet's little double doodle baby says, "I hope there is still some snow when I am big enough to play!"

Happy JANUARY SNOW day!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!! 2012 is here and today is a brand new start to a brand New Year. Last night everyone made it to ring in the New Year's celebration. This is not an easy feat as Mr. Yesteryear Acres is usually the first to fade but he was wide awake as we all chanted the infamous countdown together. It was such a blessing to ring in the New Year gathered all together. I am so grateful for each and every minute I have with my family all under one roof. Today will be spent putting away the Christmas decorations and saying goodbye to some of our cute puppies as they join their new families. Tonight is the traditional, never to be missed, must have, Pork and Sauerkraut dinner. We are all saving our appetite for the New Year's feast. Tomorrow is our last day all together so we will be squeezing as much family time as we can into these last few moments. Happy New Year! May your life be filled with the blessings of family and love!

Happy Last Day of 2011

2011-12-31T17:11:00.002-05:00

The last day of the year. The very last one. One whole year has come and gone just like that. As with most people, the year here at Yesteryear Acres was filled with big momentous occasions as well as small peaceful moments. The big and the small. It is easy to remember the big occasions such as graduations, births, wedding, funerals, natural disasters, vacations. Those occasions seem to be the things that easily come to mind when reminiscing. They are important but encompass a very small part of any year. As meaningful as those type of occasions are, my favorite memories of 2011 are all the small fillers that lie in between the big moments. The endless laughter at the dinner table. The tranquil moments at our pond. Times spent enjoying the company of my children. Peaceful walks in the woods. Lunch breaks with Mr. Yesteryear Acres. Fun playing with the puppies. Cooking delicious meals in the kitchen. Simply put - my favorite thing of this year and every year is ....love. As I look back on 2011, I look back with a permanent smile full of loving memories. I am blessed to have another year filled with love and happiness. To love and to be loved - that is the greatest gift in life and I have been blessed many times over. Happy last day of 2011. I hope your year was filled with cherished memories of love, happiness and laughter......and here's to many more!

Beauty Day!

2011-12-30T16:32:00.000-05:00

Today was AWESOME! My older daughter gave me a "Spa Day" coupon for my Christmas present. She also gave one to her sister so today was SPA DAY here at Yesteryear Acres. The day was made a bit difficult due to my immobility issues but my daughter worked extra hard to make it all work. She had the WHOLE treatment figured out for an awesome day. I got my hair washed AND cut. She did a really great job too. My haircut is perfect. I love it! I don't know how she managed to maneuver around my leg and get everything done so well but she did. The hair washing felt SOOOOOO good and my hair desperately needed a trim. I am totally smiling from ear to ear! I also got a hot stone massage on my legs which was heavenly. They are SO sore! We did get a few interruptions with the puppies trying to help. Evidently the hot stones taste delicious and they kept trying to lick them clean. I guess puppies love spa day too! Next up is a facial. My daughter is getting it all set up while I write my blog. She is using her mad chemistry skills to whip up an awesome facial mask right now. Beauty Day!! Spa Day! FUN DAY!!

Hey! I don't want to think about that!

2011-12-29T17:26:00.001-05:00

The other day I spent hours with my younger daughter going over her finances, tuition costs, textbooks needed for the semester etc. It wasn't really that fun but one of those necessary things in life you just have to do. Today was my older daughter's turn. As many of you know, she will be graduating from the Naval Academy in May and has been selected to be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Over the holiday break she was given a LOAD of paperwork to fill out in preparation for her service assignment. I said that today I would sit with her for hours and help her get through all the stacks of paperwork. Well everything was going well. Name....check. Address... check. Home of Record...check. Legal Residence ...check. Marine Corps Ground contract signed and the next 8 years of her life promised to USMC.....check. Next of Kin....check? Who do we notify in case of your death....CHECK????? What to do in the case where your body cannot be recovered? WAIT A MINUTE? WAH! I don't want to think about that! We had so much paperwork to fill out on those type details. My baby is 21 years old! Mommies do not like to fill out paperwork about these type things! Of course we got through it all and I know it was all necessary but WAH. I think tomorrow we should schedule a fun day. No finances. No textbook buying. AND certainly NO empty coffin vs. name tag burial situations! I am going to declare a girlie day full of fluffy romance comedies, popcorn and nail polishing! Now that is my kind of "Must Do" on the good ole "To Do" list!

Thanksgiving Dinner 2

2011-12-28T15:50:00.001-05:00

I love turkey. I love love love love love it. I am like the Dad on the movie The Christmas Story who can't wait to eat his Christmas turkey. My mouth just waters all day long as I can smell the deliciousness coming from the kitchen. Tonight we are having Thanksgiving Dinner.....Number 2! I mean it isn't REALLY Thanksgiving - but I am thankful. I am SO thankful to be surrounded by my family and I am SO thankful to have all 3 of my children home for one more week. Next Christmas, my older daughter might be deployed on the other side of the world so we are doing a repeat of our favorite meal tonight to get all the goodness in while everyone is still all together. The turkey was a collaborative effort. Everyone helped make the stuffing and get the bird in the oven. We are having mashed potatoes, gravy, scalloped corn, beets, strawberry salad, homemade buttermilk bread and for dessert - pecan pie! It is a true turkey feast! I cannot wait!!!!!!!!! Everything smells so good. Don't worry. There is no chance of having the same fate as in The Christmas Story - "Gone, all gone! No Turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No Turkey Gravy! Turkey Hash! Turkey a la King! Or Gallons of Turkey Soup! Gone, ALL GONE! We already have plates of turkey goodies lined up for the doggies ready to go. Everyone gets Thanksgiving here! AND turkey soup!!!!!

And then the celebration was over

2011-12-27T19:20:00.000-05:00

Reality! ACK! Who asked for it to be the day after the day after Christmas already???? What about the celebrating? What about the leisure time? What about sitting around and enjoying the beauty of the season? OVER!? WAH! Today was BACK TO WORK day. In our celebrating, we pushed some much needed chores to the side and now we faced THE LIST. Mr. Yesteryear Acres had the list ready for distribution early this morning. We had to do work. We had to clean. We had to do chores and we are still working. Sigh. The only bright spot is that it is ALMOST time for another holiday! So if we work really hard, it will just be a few more days and NEW YEAR'S will be here! Time to celebrate! Time for Leisure! Time to enjoy the beauty of the season! YEA! Alright work- here I come. 2011 is almost a memory. Guess we better get the End of the Year list of "Things to Do" whittled down to size. 2012 will be here soon!

Christmas Eve Babies!

2011-12-26T17:53:00.000-05:00

Every family has their own special way of celebrating Christmas Eve. Each year we take time to enjoy the beauty of the season and sometimes.......special little packages arrive........like.......PUPPIES!!!!!!!
Look what we have under our tree!!!!!

Our beautiful Goldendoodle Eloise delivered 8 new babies

on Christmas Eve

Not a creature was stirring

Visions of Sugar Plums danced in their heads

...in the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be here

HEY! What about us? We are SOOOO cute too!!!!

And Santa LOVED visiting with us!

Our sweet McGyver Goldendoodle Puppies

Last but definitely not least.....Our Double Doodle Babies

They are all plump little butterballs

Happy Day After Christmas!

Merry of Merriest Christmas Day!

2011-12-25T15:43:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!! Our day started bright and early as the kids headed outside to do the farm chores. The doggies all got yummy Christmas treats. The puppies got a very early breakfast with a big scoop of yogurt on top. That is the very best puppy breakfast especially on Christmas morning. My daughter made fresh squeezed orange juice for our breakfast and after all the work was done we finally got to see what Santa put under the tree for us. The doggies got some new toys and some doodle doggies even helped unwrap the goodies to see what was inside. The winning toy was a tire shaped toy with a rope bone through the middle. Runner up was a stuffless squirrel toy with a santa hat. Santa brought some things for us too! The rest of the day will be spent celebrating with our families. Time for yummy food, good times, laughter and family! Merry Christmas to you and to all those you love ... both two legged and four. We wish you a day full of love and treasured Christmas memories.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

Dearest Family, Friends, Puppy Families, (and Puppies, Doggies).....MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! This magical night that only happens once a year is a time to be eternally grateful for all your blessings. I know I am grateful for all the loved ones in my life. Everyone here will be tucked in for the night with the excitement and anticipation of the big day to come. We never sleep well on Christmas Eve as we are always too excited to sleep. Christmas is always so much fun. The feasting. The merriment. The family love. The togetherness. It makes for a perfect day. For the longest time we have held a tradition here that our Christmas Eve is a special day just for us. We don't go out. We don't answer the phone. We have really yummy food all day long. We spend the day playing games, watching Christmas movies, and we sit back and enjoy the tranquility of the season. We love Christmas Eve. Tonight we will once again watch The Christmas Story as we do each and every Christmas Eve. It is a tradition that dates back to when Mr. Yesteryear and I were just dating. We never miss watching it and each year you will find us all laughing, saying the lines together, and each of us feels to the depths of our hearts.....that all is right with the world.

Lightbulb!

2011-12-23T19:48:00.001-05:00

We had so much fun today. My sister and her family came to visit and we always have the best time together. We love to sit around and laugh and play games and eat good food and enjoy each other's company. We do some serious game playing here. We don't cater to her young son by letting him win. No way. If he is good enough to beat us - so be it. If not - maybe next time kid! We are serious about our game playing. Our favorite game is Apples to Apples. We don't exactly follow the traditional rules. Here at Yesteryear Acres it is all about the propaganda that goes into influencing your peers into choosing your card above everyone else's. We go all out. It is probably one of the loudest games we play. Everyone is in it to win it. Everyone wants their card to be chosen. So when the descriptive card says, "Hilarious" and my nephew and son (as an unbeatable duo) play the card "Bank Robber" ... of course the immediate thought is, "I don't think so!" I said something like, "Bank Robbers aren't funny!" To which my cute little nephew said, "They are if they use SQUIRT GUNS to rob a bank!" We all started cracking up and he said, "SEE?! HILARIOUS!" Only here would Penguins be "depressing"......."cause you would be depressed if you were the only bird that couldn't FLY!" You can see - we all had a really good time. We played Bananagrams and Hangman and Chinese word games. The finale of our day was watching Despicable Me all together. That movie cracks us up every time. My older daughter was just like the little girl with the pink sweater and hat when she was younger and my other daughter was exactly like the littlest girl. We almost cry from laughing so hard at the similarities. My sister had to leave right after dinner tonight to go spend some time with my parents. "LIGHTBULB".........we should get together more often! I miss them already!

Company is coming! Company is Coming!!!

2011-12-22T18:03:00.001-05:00

You know the drill - Company is COMING! QUICK CLEAN EVERYTHING!!!!! Our morning started early this morning as we were all nestled in our beds dreaming of sugar plums when Mr. Yesteryear Acres started ringing the doorbell in an effort to rouse us from our slumber. He is such a thoughtful person to wake us in the morning. The second our feet, or in my case "foot" hit the ground - we were busy. At first I don't enjoy the rush of getting everything done but then as the day progresses, I am SO grateful for company! Mr. Yesteryear Acres is ever so motivated! The canning jars that have been out in the garage/hallway waiting to be stored for the year ACTUALLY got moved! YEA! The doggie and puppy toys all got washed and organized. The dining room got cleaned so that it would pass the white glove test. It was a concerted effort that was AWESOME! 5 people working together to get the house ready for Christmas guests. YEA! Everything looks great. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. The tree is glistening with white sparkly lights and adorned with ornaments full of fond cherished memories. A Christmas Ham is baking in the oven. and........All is right with the world.

Tree Tree Tree Tree

2011-12-21T17:17:00.001-05:00

Since yesterday was wrap all the presents day - today can only be TREE day! Finally! Thanks to the nonstop dreary rain, Mr. Yesteryear Acres had to plan a short day outside doing the farm chores and the rest of the day was devoted to bringing down the Christmas boxes from the attic. First on the list....THE TREE! YEA! We have a big 9 foot tree and we assembled it this afternoon. We even got all the beautiful white sparkly lights on! Of course I am still not mobile, so I got the task of preparing the top section of the tree while sitting on the recliner chair, while everyone else worked on the bulk of the tree. Despite my limited mobility - I have to say the top of the tree looks fantastic!!! Tonight we are going to hang all the ornaments while we watch Elf and drink tons of eggnog. I am glad to finally get the decorating done! Usually we have things done long before this, but my broken ankle has really slowed down the normal Christmas To Do list. By tomorrow I just might be able to say WE ARE CHRISTMAS READY! I hope so because I have 3 very special guests arriving tomorrow to stay with us and I want to have everything ready for their arrival. Christmas is coming!!!!!! JOY!!!!!

Wrap Wrap Wrap Wrap

2011-12-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

We have used a lot of tape here today at Yesteryear Acres! Lots of Christmas wrapping going on. I am stuck in a recliner chair with presents next to me and a roll of wrapping paper. I kind of unroll the wrapping paper on my lap, put the present on top, cut the HUGE piece out, and then fold/crumple/crinkle/mangle the huge edges of wrapping paper down and then tape them all shut. I use a lot of tape. When I am done with my package - it kind of looks like perhaps it was at the bottom of the sleigh. Under the bag of gifts. After it got run over by a reindeer. Last year. My daughter on the other hand has her paper cut to precision. She has just the right size paper for the right size present. She wraps her presents with minimum tape. She aligns the snowman head so that it matches up to the snowman body on the seams. The picture is a seamless crisp wonder. The plaids match up. Santa's beard is right where it should be. The mistletoe looks like mistletoe. She is extremely talented in the gift wrapping department. She must get it from her Grandmother. Mr. Yesteryear Acres' mommy can wrap a present like a professional. You have never seen such precise crisp corners. Her bows are perfectly formed. Her packages have beautiful envelope sides. They are a work of art in themselves. I guess when we open our presents this year, everyone will know, in advance, which presents came from me. I don't really need to put gift tags on! The uniqueness speaks for itself! One thing I know for sure - with all that tape - those presents will stay securely wrapped until Christmas morning! Scissors please!

To YOU ....Love Santa

2011-12-19T18:54:00.001-05:00

We had a lot of fun taking the new puppy pictures today. With so many helping hands the puppies had the best time and we were all cracking up thinking of good captions for the pictures. My older daughter came up with a photo caption for every single picture. She was making us all crack up! When you read the captions, be sure to read them in a very HIGH PITCHED puppy voice! That way you can get the full effect. Today was an important picture day. We needed "Santa worthy" pictures because some of the photos will be placed under Christmas trees this week. My older daughter gift wrapped a collar complete with Christmas bows so the puppies would look their best. It is too cold at the North Pole for Santa to take care of the puppies so of course we are happy to help him out.

"Can you put me in the stocking on the mantle?"

"Can I play reindeer games with Rudolph?"

"I smell Mrs. Claus' cookies!!!!!!"

"Santa! Can I help wrap the presents?"

"Santa.....I am sorry... I drank all your milk"

"Can I be Gift-Wrapped?"

"You are Saint Nicholas to MEEEE"

And this is what happens in between every picture taken. Awwwww.

Sweet Puppies make Happy Holidays!

Full out Feast

2011-12-18T16:48:00.000-05:00

Today was another super productive day here at Yesteryear Acres. Our Navy SEAL midshipman guest, Marine Corps midshipman daughter, son, and Mr. Yesteryear Acres are busy repairing the horse fencing. It is a big project that hopefully will all get done today. They are working as fast as they can. Tomorrow our Navy SEAL guest is leaving us to go spend the holidays with his family. Of course I let him know that he was MORE than welcome to stay here a few more days!!! The extra helping hand has been so great. I caught Mr. Yesteryear Acres happily whistling early this morning. He definitely has a little spring to his step. Crossing things off his list is without a doubt his favorite thing. Christmas came a little early this year thanks to our Navy Seal's help. Tonight my younger daughter and I have prepared a FEAST to thank our guest for all his hard work. We started working in the kitchen early this morning and can't wait to put the huge feast out on the table tonight. We have homemade rolls rising in the oven. We have a cheesecake baking - and not just any old cheesecake either. We used Mr. Yesteryear Acres' Mommy's recipe for his favorite cheesecake. The recipe calls for whisking the cream cheese mixture for at least 30 minutes. It is a labor of love for sure. We are making roasted potatoes and onions. We are making asparagus and hollandaise sauce. The star attraction of our feast is a big prime rib roast or as we like to call it, "The Roast Beast" We must pay homage to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. "And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beast". Because here at Yesteryear Acres we know without a doubt that Christmas doesn't come from the store. No Christmas here - means so much more. Merry Christmas our Navy Seal. Your presence here fills us with the Christmas spirit and we thank you!

Yesteryear Acres Experience

2011-12-17T18:41:00.003-05:00

Our midshipman guest is definitely getting the full Yesteryear Acres experience. He has dined on a full breakfast complete with eggs, homemade bread and sausages. He ran errands with Mr. Yesteryear Acres all morning. He went to the feed mill, the home improvement store and the tractor store. He has washed doggie pans, cleaned puppy boxes, helped unload new doggie houses and has worked non-stop since waking this morning. He hasn't come back inside yet, so I am not sure if he will be up for round two tomorrow or not. My guess is that he will. As we were sure to provide him with the full Yesteryear Acres experience we were in turn treated to hearing all about his own experiences. He is a NAVY SEAL selectee and hearing all about the SEAL screening process and the adventures that lie before him was just the best treat of all. We were all captivated last night. My son is literally following him every step he takes. It is our complete honor to have him in our home. His selfless devotion to protecting our freedoms is awe inspiring to say the least. My younger daughter and I have been busy preparing an evening feast for him. When we say our thanks tonight - all my thanks will be for our Navy Seal guest. I am ever so grateful.

On The Way

2011-12-16T18:08:00.001-05:00

Ooooh! My Holiday Season will officially start TONIGHT! My older daughter is on the road and on her way home! YEA! I am sooooooo happy. She is bringing a midshipmen friend with her to stay with us for a few days. I did mention that I have limited mobility and can't do everything like I usually do but evidently her midfriend doesn't mind. In fact he specifically requested the whole "Yesteryear Acres experience". He wants it all. I guess tomorrow morning when Mr. Yesteryear Acres wakes him up to go help with the farm chores - the experience will begin! Mr. Yesteryear Acres has a really long list of things to get done while everyone is home. Having one more helping hand around here will really be great. We are behind in just about every single project. Our Christmas tree is not up. Our house is not decorated. No stockings are hung by the chimney with care. It is hard to take care of the puppies and doggies AND do Christmas on just one leg. Now the Calvary is coming! Help is on the way! I have a big batch of homemade spaghetti and meatballs simmering on the stove waiting for their arrival. We want the whole Yesteryear Acres experience to start off on the right foot! The puppies are anxiously awaiting their entrance. The doggies are waiting by the back door. My younger daughter is busy baking a peach pie with the peaches we picked together this summer. Project "Yesteryear Acres Experience" is in full force!

Carrier Pigeon....I mean Doodle

2011-12-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

I am sure many of you thought the days of using the good ole carrier pigeon for sending messages was a thing of the past. Probably hasn't been too much use for them since the end of World War II but we here at Yesteryear Acres have evidently revived the good ole message system using a new and updated and improved messenger.....the Carrier Doodle! What is the Carrier Doodle Dog? Well even I did not know how great of a messenger the Carrier Doodle was until last night. My younger daughter was in the living room wrapping Christmas presents and my son was working in the kitchen. My daughter sent our Carrier Doodle to the kitchen with a bundle of trash and a note for her brother to throw the trash away. Of course my son sent the Carrier Doodle back to my daughter with a note saying "NO!" Well this started the back and forth - let's give the Carrier Doodle messages and notes - game for the next hour. In walked the Carrier Doodle with a funny note and then would proceed to drop the note on my daughter's lap. Out went the Carrier Doodle with the reply. Back and forth. At one point our Carrier Doodle carried out a dinner plate with "MAKE ME A SANDWICH" written on it. Evidently son was hungry for a snack. A return message that my daughter wanted a snack was urgently dispatched. What was the reply to that you ask????? In ran our faithful Carrier Doodle carrying a tangerine. She plopped the unblemished, although slightly damp, tangerine on my daughter's lap. My son and daughter were cracking up the entire time. It was a great game for them but do you know who enjoyed the game even more? The Carrier Doodle! Oh my gosh - she had the best time running the messages back and forth. She could hardly wait for the reply so she could run and deliver the important correspondence. She is anxiously awaiting her next urgent Carrier Doodle job. Yesteryear Acres Carrier Doodles....at your service!

I am dreaming of a ......BROWN Christmas?????

2011-12-14T20:06:00.001-05:00

The forecast for a white Christmas for the United States is unfortunately quite bleak. We are in the NO CHANCE at all section of the Probability of a White Christmas weather map. There is actually a large section of the United States that won't see a single snowflake. What is up with that??? What happened to our beautiful white Christmas? I mean one of my favorite parts of the movie "The Christmas Story" is when Ralphie wakes up on Christmas morning and looks out the window with a "WOW!" Everything is so beautiful and perfectly white. I guess I will have to lower my expectations. I guess I will have to think how beautiful the world will look in a uniform color of BROWN. As in mud brown. As in drippy gooey muddy brown. Hey! Kind of like icicles except instead of sparkling frozen ice crystals that spread beautiful rainbows in the shimmering sunlight.....we can have drippy brown mud glistening off of wet muddy doodle dogs. Exactly the same!!!!! I will start adjusting my attitude immediately. I do not want to be disappointed Christmas morning. I will think how lovely a Brown Christmas will be. I will look forward to a Brown Christmas. I will be dreaming of a Brown Christmas. Ahhhhh Brown Christmas. I think it is time to re-write some Christmas songs! Come on sing it with me now, "I'm Dreaming of a Brown Christmas......"

One Month to Go

2011-12-13T17:41:00.002-05:00

This morning I had my 2 week follow up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. It has been 2 weeks since my fateful fall down the treacherous embankment aka backyard and fractured my ankle/leg. I had new x-rays taken this morning and good news! My break is healing nicely. There was no displacement and no need for him to "throw a few screws in there". Surgery has been cancelled. YEA! Now all I have to do is be VERY VERY good for the next 4 weeks. NO weight bearing. None. I still have to hop/roll everywhere I go. I have to say I have developed some mad knee scooting/crutch walking skills in the past 2 weeks. I can walk a puppy on a leash and only mildly have the leash get tangled around me. I can make dinner. I can empty the dishwasher. I can wash the puppy pans. I can fold laundry. I can do a lot of things - albeit
S L O W L Y but still they are getting done. What I cannot do is carry things around. I can't carry my phone. I can't carry a basket of laundry. I can't carry a glass a water. I can't go get a cup of coffee, heat it up in the microwave and then carry the lovely cup of coffee to my computer where I can savor it. Also - dear Mr. Yesteryear Acres......I cannot clear the table after dinner. I am not sure why this fact eludes him but it does. Our conversation at dinner goes something like this:
"Hey, you left your dishes on the table"

"I know. I have a BROKEN ANKLE and can't carry anything. I am on CRUTCHES!"

"Oh yea, I don't know why I always forget you can't do that"

ARGH. You can also substitute the "you left your dishes on the table" with: "hey did you get the mail, hey can you get the milk, hey can you get the napkins, hey can you grab a new roll of toilet paper, hey I need a towel, hey did you water the puppies.....??????" etc. etc. etc.

4 more weeks. 4 more weeks. 4 more weeks. Just one month to go.

Sunbeam Monday

2011-12-12T20:24:00.003-05:00

The SUN came out today!!!! Hooray!!!! We had actual sunbeams!!! When I got out of the shower this morning a bright warm shiny sunbeam was coming through the window and warmed the whole bathroom up. I just sat there and soaked up all the warm goodness. Ahhhhh. It was delightful. The puppies enjoyed the sunbeams as well. It made for a wonderful Monday Puppy Picture day! What made puppy picture day even better was that my younger daughter became the official photographer du jour and helped Mr. Yesteryear Acres take the puppy pictures so I could put my leg up. I have to say - they did an AWESOME job.

Here are this week's pictures of cuteness!

Dear Santa.......

Dreaming of a White Christmas

I am ready for some cuddle time!

Olive wants to help!

Is it my turn yet?

No it is my turn ...see?

Look at me! I am a BIG Puppy!!!!

Okay maybe not!

Hope you enjoyed this Monday's puppy cuteness!!!! I know we did!!!!

The Making of a Dinner

2011-12-11T17:47:00.001-05:00

I love to cook. I mean I really love to cook. We rarely go out to eat at restaurants, don't do fast foods or convenience foods. We love food from scratch right down to homemade bread. So of course when I broke my ankle our immediate thought here at Yesteryear Acres was...WHAT WILL WE DO FOR DINNER? The first few nights after I broke my ankle, Mr. Yesteryear Acres made some fabulous dishes. He is really a great cook. He wishes he could cook more but he has so many chores to do that cooking isn't a top priority. Doggies and puppies definitely come first. Our sweet neighbor and my mom also brought some food over which was ever so appreciated. We probably could continue with that routine but OH MAN - I can't stay out of the kitchen! Mr. Yesteryear Acres missed my cooking. My son missed my cooking. I missed my own cooking. So there was no alternative except to be creative and start cooking. Even though I have to cook balanced on one leg - cooking is happening. It. Just. Takes. A. Very. Very. Very. Very. Very. Long. Time. As in the things I can do in 30 minutes -now take 90 minutes. I am literally sweating from the enormous output of extra effort by the time the food reaches the table. Yet...... it is all worth it. It just takes a little bit of ingenuity. For example - how to retrieve a saute pan from the cabinet. Hop/roll to cabinet. Open cabinet doors. Take out saute pan. Put on stool. Hop/roll two steps. Reach behind me. Grab saute pan. Stretch out as far as I can, precariously balancing on one foot, place saute pan on counter. Hop/roll 4 steps. Reach behind me. Grab saute pan. Stretch out and place or perhaps toss saute pan to sink counter. Hop/roll another 3-4 steps. Reach behind me. Grab Saute pan. Stretch on tiptoe of one balanced foot and put saute pan on burner. Feel proud. Then think..... I need butter. Hop/roll to refrigerator. Open refrig without knocking myself over. Grab butter. Put butter on counter. Repeat the counter/sink/stove steps. Get to stove. Feel PROUD AGAIN! Think .... I forgot a knife. I need an onion. I need the apples. The noodles are in the bottom cabinet. The pasta pot is still in the pot cabinet. I need water. ACK! I am sure you can see where the 90 minutes goes! In the end, it is all worth it. What did I prepare? A passion fruit glazed pork tenderloin on a bed of stuffing made with fresh squeezed orange juice, orange segments, passion fruit, cherries and caramelized onions. Yes. I roll like that!

Mr. Yesteryear Acres on the Road

2011-12-10T17:55:00.001-05:00

Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were up at the crack of dawn this morning getting our sweet puppies ready for their big road trip out east. When we originally chose this date to deliver our puppies, it was a perfect plan. We were finally going to see our very first Army vs. Navy football game. We were going to see our older daughter run the game ball onto the field. We were going to hang out with our midmom and middad friends at the game and go out to a big celebration dinner after the game. It was a perfect plan. I had been so looking forward to it as this is the very last game my daughter will attend as a midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. Of course, sadly, all those plans changed when I decided to take the doggies outside, in the rain, and then "throw" myself down the embankment and break my leg/ankle. ARGH! I was really sad this morning as Mr. Yesteryear Acres loaded the puppies into the puppy mobile. I think he was a little sad too. We had promised to deliver the puppies when we made plans to go to the Army vs. Navy game. We are always happy to spread a little puppy cheer when we travel to Annapolis. Just because I could no longer travel wasn't a reason to cancel on everyone else's happy day. Despite the fact that we would no longer get to see our daughter, or attend the big game, or spend some time together on the road, Mr. Yesteryear Acres left as the sun was rising with a bunch of tail-wagging puppies and headed east. Once he was on the road, I was really glad that he could still bring some puppy love to the new puppy families. I knew that today would be an awesome day for them AND for the sweet puppies. It looks like it will be late this evening before Mr. Yesteryear Acres returns. The drive is taking longer than he thought, but the puppies are now with their new families soaking up all that love. I know they are bringing some big smiles to everyone today!!!! My smile will be here tonight......I can't wait for Mr. Yesteryear Acres to get back home. See you soon sweetie!

Ball Run

2011-12-09T17:27:00.001-05:00

My daughter's company at the Naval Academy is given the arduous task of running the game ball to the field. Tomorrow marks the big ARMY vs. NAVY football game and of course, everyone here at Yesteryear Acres is chanting, "GO NAVY!" 13th Company has always been in charge of the ball run and the firsties (senior class) get the honor of running the ball onto the field. The midshipmen of 13th Company left The United States Naval Academy earlier today and have over 100 miles to run before they make it to the stadium. My daughter texted me to let me know she was one of the midshipmen holding the sign so I would be sure to see her. Part of the run will be filmed for "A Game of Honor" special that is airing on TV. I already have my DVR set to record the big show! I am so sad to be stuck at home with a broken ankle missing all the festivities. I have a couple of midmom friends who are busy taking pictures for me in my absence. I feel lucky to have such awesome friends. If anyone sees a particularly cute looking mid named Abigail - take a picture for me! Her mom misses her! Run Abigail run! See you on TV tomorrow! GO NAVY!

Why Look.......It's Olive!

2011-12-08T17:30:00.001-05:00

My son's chocolate labradoodle Olive has recently learned a new trick. My son of course thinks this trick is hilarious. My son of course thinks his Olive doodle doggie is the smartest doggie in the entire world. My son is praising Olive for her brand new, let's do this again and again, trick. What is Olive's new trick? Opening doors. Yes, Olive can open doors. You are probably thinking, "OH WOW! That is an awesome trick!" Well you are wrong. Do you know why you are wrong? Let me share. Let's say you are.....going to the bathroom. Alone. In peace and quiet. Maybe you want to read the latest People Magazine. Maybe you just want to go to the bathroom. Next thing you know, "Why Look.....It's Olive!" Let's say you are in the SHOWER. Alone. In peace and quiet. For the small infinitesimal part of life you can call your very own. Next thing you know, "Why Look......It's Olive!" Isn't that lovely. She is sticking her head through the shower curtain just to say hi! Working in the kitchen, with the door closed - yes there is Olive. Closing up the play area for the puppies - why thank you Olive. I really DID want to leave the door open so the puppies could romp EVERYWHERE! Yes, I see. I see you playing with ALL the puppies. Yes, that looks like fun. Gee, thanks Olive. Olive is now opening the porch door for me. The back door. The kitchen door. I spend my day saying, "Why Look....It's Olive!" In case you think that you got ALL your laughs in.....let me share one more sweet enduring Olive story. This morning I was sleeping because it was 6:00am. I like to be asleep at 6:00am. I think all creatures great and small should still be asleep at 6:00am. So there I am sound asleep which given my broken leg is a blessing when all of the sudden...... L I C K! RIGHT ON THE FACE! WHY LOOK........It's OLIVE!!!!!! She opened the door to our bedroom just to say good morning. Next up --- teaching Olive to NOT open the doors. That is the trick to learn!

December 7th.....Lest We Forget

2011-12-07T18:57:00.001-05:00

It would be horrifying for anyone from our younger generation to think that someday the tragedies that occurred on 9/11 would simply fade into the distance. A mere footnote in American History. 9/11 is so deeply burned into our memories as one of the saddest days America has ever faced. 70 years ago, our country faced a similar horrifying tragedy when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Thousands of Americans died a brutal and torturous death. Today is likely to be the last time the survivors of Pearl Harbor will gather together to remember the events of December 7th. Most of our soldiers from that day have passed away. Even though our soldiers and civilians who lived through Pearl Harbor might not be with us, it is important to honor them and to never forget the events of that day. It is up to us to never let that day fade away. It is up to us to always remember... Freedom is Never Free. Every day leading up to the events of Pearl Harbor and every day since, our soldiers have been giving up their freedoms, their comforts, their homes, their families and their lives to keep America free. To those who lost their lives on December 7, 1941, to those who are still with us today, to those family members they left behind - we thank you. We remember you, we honor you and we thank you. Your service to our country will never be forgotten.

The Rain Belt

2011-12-06T17:40:00.001-05:00

I know everyone is familiar with Tornado Alley, the corn belt, the snow belt, and even the rust belt but did you know that here, right here, at good ole Yesteryear Acres is....the RAIN BELT?! ARGH! It rains every day here! We have had an official 3.14 INCHES of rain for the month of December and it is only the 6th day of the month! We had the wettest November, the wettest October, the wettest September. Why don't they just say it will rain EVERY DAY so we stop hoping for it to dry out??? I mean it it weren't the WETTEST November - I definitely wouldn't have fallen down the evil treacherous mudslide out my back door and broken my ankle! If we didn't have 3+ inches of rain so far, I wouldn't have finally CRAWLED up the stairs last night and get all the way to my bed only to find that yet another leak has sprung in our roof, flooding our bed once again. sigh. Mr. Yesteryear Acres has to go repair all the slate around the chimney and fix the roof (again) if it ever dries out enough for him to climb up there. I couldn't even believe it when our bed was soaked last night. I mean it just won't stop raining. I am actually used to the dogs dripping everywhere. If I saw a dry dog - I don't know what I would do! I might have to stop and think, just what kind of breed IS this fluffy cute doggie??? Mine all look like wet mops. The dogs almost dry out before it is time to go outside and become soaked all over again. And can I say that crutches and mud soaked ground are not friends! My crutches just sink and sink and sink as if I am in quicksand. ARGH! At this point, I will take a torrential snowstorm! Anything but the never ending rain! Can someone please turn off the faucet??? I have run out of towels. Thank you.

It's Monday.......PUPPY PICTURE TIME!

2011-12-05T17:51:00.001-05:00

So I am totally back on track and got the little puppy pictures taken and published to the website on time! Monday means Puppy Picture time and this Monday is no exception. YEA! Nothing like crossing something off your list to make you smile. Also it doesn't hurt that you have to spend your day looking at cute puppies in order to cross the item off your list. Here are today's new puppy pictures.....

Our new little Goldendoodle babies

Who can resist a cute pile of puppies?!

Our Labradoodle puppies said, "We are a cute pile of puppies too!"

We had the basket on its side - and they all crawled in. We couldn't resist taking a few cute pictures of them. A Basket of Puppy Love!

Future Top Model Doodle!

Happy Monday!

Be Joyous

2011-12-04T17:35:00.001-05:00

You know what is great about puppies and doggies? They are always happy. I think that is the very best part about raising puppies for a living. Puppies and doggies never complain. Puppies and doggies are ALWAYS glad to see you. Even if you were to leave a room merely 10 minutes before and then walk back in - they will almost throw you a homecoming party they are so excited. It is always, "OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY! YOU CAME BACK!" I have never seen a single one of my puppies have a bad day. I have never heard one complaint from any of my doggies. They are always grateful. They are always happy. When I feed my doggies a plain old bowl of dry dog food - they thank me as if it is Christmas morning. Everything brings them joy. Each day I bring out a new toy for the puppies. We have a HUGE box of puppy toys and every single day, I rotate a new toy into their play area. Today it was a rubber octopus. Oh my! The joy that little red octopus brought to their morning was palpable. I am always surrounded by many doggies when I go to "the box" - they can't wait to see what the toy of the day will be. The big doggies get "new" toys as well. Some are so well loved, they really need to go to the big doggie toy box in the sky - but of course - those are their VERY favorites. A trunk missing elephant, a 2 legged zebra, a headless puppy blankie - pure bliss. I love being surrounded by happy grateful doggies and puppies. Humans could learn a lot from them. Cherish what you have. Be grateful for what you are given. Never miss an opportunity to romp around outdoors and enjoy Nature's beauty. And most importantly - Wag your tails often!

WOW! What an accomplishment!

2011-12-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

My list of accomplishments today is staggering. Mind Boggling. The feats that I have accomplished can NOT be completed by a mere mortal. It definitely takes a super human to do what I have done in just one day. What monumental Herculean tasks did I accomplish???? What dazzling unbelievable astonishing accomplishments did I cross off my list today??? Why let me share ...
First ......(drum roll please)....... I GOT DRESSED. OH! WOW! OH MY! And to make this feat even more impressive - I got dressed ALL BY MYSELF! I know. I know. Brings tears to your eyes. I dug out yet another fabulous sundress because if December doesn't say "sundress weather", I don't know what does. I ended up putting the sundress over a turtleneck to really make my fashion statement come alive. I am just all that. I didn't stop there though - oh no - I also emptied the dishwasher! Again... ALL BY MYSELF. As women everywhere can attest, dishwasher emptying is something so incredibly difficult that men everywhere find it almost impossible to accomplish. Thankfully, I was able to complete this task and then LOAD the dishwasher. "GASP!" I told you my accomplishments were staggering! In addition, I let the dogs out AND back in. I made the bed. I folded a load of laundry. I scrubbed the sinks. I answered emails. I cleaned out the refrigerator. AND I MADE DINNER! Now that is impressive!!!! So what shall I do tonight to top this amazing list of accomplishments????? Sit in my chair, put my leg up and NOT MOVE ALL EVENING! And that.........might be the hardest task of all!

Triceps of Steel

2011-12-02T16:51:00.001-05:00

So evidently I am not the most coordinated person of balance and grace. Some of you might have surmised that from my harrowing fall down what some might refer to as the "TREACHEROUS CLIFF" - while others, particularly Mr. Yesteryear Acres, might refer to it as "the backyard". It all depends on your perspective. I mean, technically, YES, I did fall in my own backyard. Technically, yes, it a gentle grass covered ever so slight incline. BUT when my kids were little - they could SLED down that "gentle grass covered incline" and scream with glee so really I am thinking that the Olympic committee just might be scoping out our backyard for upcoming ski events! In any event - I slipped on the muddy wet grass and broke my ankle. Perhaps this should have prepared me for the obvious impossible obstacle that I would face in CLIMBING UP the stairs. EGAD! First of all - crutches are really not that helpful. I mean you have to put your crutches on the bottom step and then balance ALL your weight on 2 tiny aluminum sticks and HURL yourself to the next step up. Right there - you can see - this is doomed for failure. In my attempts to climb the stairs the other night, I put my crutches down on the floor all the while keeping my casted leg (which weighs like 50 POUNDS) elevated. I then balanced all my weight and "hopped" to the next step up. So far so good. I repeated this as many times as I could before I was huffing and puffing and pretty much exhausted. I looked back over my shoulder expecting to see that I was at the top of Mount Olympus only to find I had merely hopped up 4 steps. ACK! On my next attempt, I lost control of one of the crutches. The weight of my casted leg which I was holding up in mid-air behind me tried to yank me back down the steps. I narrowly missed total catastrophe. In a total reflex motion, I did put my bad leg down to keep from hurtling down the stairs which, well, did not feel good. The second I did that I could hear the surgeon saying, "DO NOT PUT WEIGHT ON THAT LEG UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES". Argh! So I have a new method of getting up the stairs. I am now a toddler and I have to sit on the step. Then I have to put my arms behind me on the next step up and push off with my good leg and lift myself up to the step behind me. It isn't pretty, but it is effective. I can hold my 50lb casted leg in the air, push off with my now new TRICEPS OF STEEL, and hoist my very heavy body up the stairs one by one. When I finally get to the top, I am ready for a nap. Since I have mastered the graceful art of stair climbing, tomorrow I shall tackle the elusive, "Leash Training A Puppy".... from a knee walker. Stay tuned. It is sure to be riveting!

Live from the Cold Stone Steps

2011-12-01T17:23:00.001-05:00

The Blog title kind of sounds like a rock band doesn't it? Instead it is actually the REALLY COLD STONE STEPS. After much maneuvering and hobbling, I made it out the door and onto our stone steps that lead to the porch. Today is the much overdue PUPPY PICTURE DAY so I had to get outside to get some cute pictures of the puppies. I don't have the stamina to stand on one foot for endless hours so I had to sit on the steps. Can I say the steps are REALLY REALLY REALLY COLD!?!! I have to wear a dress of all things because my pants won't fit over my gigantic cast. I do not own any winter dresses so I am stuck wearing a sundress and a fleece sweatshirt. OH MY. I am a vision! I have on a tank-style sundress and over it is a button down fleece shirt. I am STILL cold - well because it is DECEMBER and I am wearing a sundress so to complete my awesome outfit, I am sporting a long black and grey striped legwarmer on my good leg to help keep it warm. I tell you - I should be on America's Top Model right now. I am sure this will be all the fashion craze in the spring! So anyway, I made it outside and plopped down onto the frigid stone step and attempted to take some pictures of the puppies. I can't say it was my best effort but I did get it done.

"Come here puppies and sit for the camera while I take your pictures."

Do not pay any attention to the GIGANTIC FOOT! This will make for a GREAT PHOTO SHOOT! I just know it!

Noooo puppies do not climb onto my knee scooter for the pictures!

Noooo puppy do not gnaw on the brake line to my scooter!

Noooo puppy do not chase Mr. Yesteryear Acres

Well - she didn't say cheese - but she did sit for the picture!

And for everyone who thought MAYBE just MAYBE I lost my touch

I can still hop and sneak up on sleepy little baby puppies and click off a few good shots before they even know they said "cheese"

Awwwwww so cute!!!!

The Few....The Proud....The Marines

2011-11-30T19:39:00.001-05:00

Today was Service Selection Day at The United States Naval Academy for the Firsties (senior class) midshipmen. After four long years of studying by the bay, the day of reckoning arrived for all the Firsties. The Navy let the senior class know which branch of the Navy they would serve. Most mids spent the morning anxiously awaiting the news. My daughter could hardly sleep and we were both counting the minutes until the envelope arrived. When she opened her envelope.....
This is what she saw:

My daughter is now officially a United States Marine Corps selectee. In May as she graduates from the Naval Academy she will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. It is all my daughter ever wanted. Today her dream came true. She is overwhelmed with happiness. Me too. She has worked so hard for this and she IS a Marine through and through. She is the most honest, faithful, loyal, hardworking, defender of rights, dedicated, determined, tough, and yes stubborn person. She never gives up. The Marines are lucky to have her.
Way to go my sweet Abigail ....

SEMPER FI

Weeeeeee

2011-11-29T17:06:00.001-05:00

My appointment with the orthopedic surgeon went well this morning. I mean IF you are going to throw yourself down a steep embankment of treacherous mudslides and IF you are going to slip and let's say break your ankle and snap your weight bearing bone and IF you are going to rupture your tendon along the way - well then, yes I stand by my statement that my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon went well today. I do still have a broken ankle. I still did fracture the weight bearing bone. I still did rupture my tendon but as of today - I don't need surgery! That is awesome news right there! I have to go back in exactly 2 weeks for more x-rays. The surgeon needs to check to make sure there is no shifting or displacement. If there is - well then he will just go ahead and "throw a few screws in there". What!?!? Throw screws in? I do not think it is something as simple as that. I think when he says, "throw a few screws in there" he means he will OPERATE on my ankle! ACK! The key to my recovery is simple.....DO NOT PUT ANY WEIGHT ON THE LEG! The nurse told me at least 517 times that I can NOT put any weight on my leg. The surgeon told me at least 476 times I can NOT put any weight on my leg. In fact I cannot put any weight on my leg for 6 weeks. 6 entire weeks. I cannot rest it whilst standing. I cannot put my toes down. I cannot rest or balance. I cannot in any way shape or form put even the slightest pressure on my leg. The surgeon said something along the lines that if I do then well the fracture will run up my leg, my bones will displace, I will need serious surgery to repair the damage, etc. etc. etc. I got it. I got the picture. Evidently, for hygiene purposes I am to sit on my bathroom floor and the most I can do - is a sponge bath. OH JOY! Maybe I can give myself a bath while I bathe the puppies!!! I am always all wet anyway! The very best part of my day was when the surgeon gave me a prescription for a knee walker! Mr. Yesteryear Acres went out right away and got it. It is a LIFESAVER! It is SOOOOOOO much better than using crutches! You bend your injured leg and place your knee on the padded cushion and hold onto the scooter handlebars while you push off with your good leg. Weeeeeeeeee! I can take like 10 steps in seconds! And when you stop moving, you have BOTH HANDS FREE! I can still trim puppy claws! I can still brush the puppies and hold the puppies and maybe even make dinner! It even has a cool basket attached so I can bring my phone with me and other essential little items. The doggies all thought I was ultra cool scooting around the house. They DID want to chase me just a little bit - but have since learned to stay back. I am a woman on a mission! I can make it to the kitchen and back in minutes now! YES! I think I just might make it through the next 6 weeks! Weeeeeeee!

Crying Like A Little Girl

2011-11-28T18:28:00.001-05:00

So I am usually really tough when it comes to injuries. I rarely cry when I get hurt. I think the last time I cried over an injury was when I was about 8 months pregnant with my first child and the disc in my back blew out and I fell to the ground in pain. I physically could not get up off the floor. I admit it - I cried that day. I can't remember crying over physical pain since. Not even when I was hit by a drunk driver. Not even when I had my heart attack. Not until...last night. Yes, when I slipped and fell on my wet grassy hill, I cried out loud. I heard the largest "POP" when I fell and I believe I cried out something like, "OH MY GOSH! OW OW OW I BROKE MY ANKLE, I BROKE MY ANKLE!!!!!!!!!" or something to that effect. I believe I was crying like a little girl. Now I DID stop crying in less than 2 minutes so it was a very short pity party, but yes, I still cried. At the exact same moment I fell down the TREACHEROUS EMBANKMENT, the TUMULTUOUS MUDSLIDE, the INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS STEEP SLOPE.....aka....the small wet and slightly muddy grassy hill outside my door...my younger daughter was leaving to go back to college so it was quite a big emotional production. I managed to get myself up off the ground and stand up and wave goodbye to her with NO crying. I am good like that. This morning - I woke up, got off the couch (as I couldn't make it upstairs to bed) and stood up only to shriek just a bit. My leg hurt but I kept saying, "It's not THAT bad." I took a shower and gingerly got in and out of the tub saying, "It's not THAT bad." I put all my weight on my leg and if I stood JUST right - again it wasn't THAT bad. I tried various positions, various methods of walking, various baby steps to find the exact, "it's not that bad" method of transportation. Just to be on the safe side, Mr. Yesteryear Acres did take me to Urgent Care when it opened this morning. I told the very nice x-ray technician that it wasn't that bad. I told the doctor that it wasn't that bad. And then I found out....it WAS that bad! My crying like a little girl was evidently justified. First - the Doctor examined my leg and said that I completely ruptured the tendon in my leg. As in ruptured. As in torn from the bone. Then I had x-rays taken. When the Doctor walked back in the room she said, "Everyone who doesn't have a broken ankle, raise their hands!" So Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I raised our hands. She told me to put my hand down. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I broke my ankle! I also broke the weight bearing bone in my leg! She said that if I put ANY weight on it, I can displace everything and make the break even worse. NOOOOOOOOOOO! I had to get a temporary hard cast put on and tomorrow I have to go to an orthopedic surgeon! Nooooooooo! The kind of break combined with my tendon rupture means NO WEIGHT BEARING on that leg AT ALL......for 4-6 Weeks! None. I have to have a hard cast. No showers. No hot tub. No walking. No carrying my cup of hot coffee. No walking the doggies. No exercising. No walking in the woods. No playing with the puppies outside. Noooooooooo! This is not good. sigh. I can't even stand up for very long because I have to keep my leg elevated ALL THE TIME. WAH! Okay - just for today - I think I will go cry like a little girl. I BROKE MY ANKLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAH!!!!!!!!!!!

To go or not to go

2011-11-27T18:01:00.001-05:00

So I WAS going to write my blog all about having my girls leave today. It was going to be all about how the weekend was wonderful and how much I will miss them and how I will be counting the days until Christmas. I had the entire blog written in my head and it was a REALLY good blog. BUT THEN - as I was taking the dogs outside to go to the bathroom, in the rain, in the dark, in my crocs......I fell. I fell HARD. I slipped on the hill in the mud and fell SO hard on my ankle. I am super super tough and I immediately started crying as I felt and heard a loud "POP". I rarely, if ever, cry from pain. Of course this was at the exact time my daughter had to leave to go back to college. So there I was in the mud, crying and she was crying and she had to leave and Mr. Yesteryear Acres was trying to pick me up out of the mud and we were both trying to say goodbye. Not good. Not at all. So now I have to figure out - did I really really sprain my ankle or did I break my ankle? Should I go to the ER or should I wait until morning to see how it feels? I cannot put ANY weight on it and I must say it is growing in size so I am sure that is not a good sign. WAH! This is NOT how I pictured my weekend ending! I mean I knew I would be in tears - but not from falling in the mud!!! WAH!

Your Reservation is Ready

2011-11-26T19:32:00.001-05:00

We had another busy day here at Yesteryear Acres as Lady's Double Doodle Puppies started making their way to their new homes. Puppy pick up day is always busy but also always fun. It is awesome meeting all the new families on their very happy puppy day!!! We were blessed with a SUNNY WARM DAY! I mean who could ever guess that at the end of November we would have a beautiful warm day? It was awesome. The puppies were happy to meet their new families and the families were happy to meet their new furry additions. Even though we had to work all day long on the weekend my girls are home from college - the girls had fun too as they missed the puppies so much that they had fun helping. Tomorrow they head back to school. My older daughter has to be at the airport right after lunch and my younger daughter heads back in the early afternoon. sigh. The weekend just flew by. Tonight we are going to make the most of our last evening together. Board Games, Movies, Popcorn, Ice Cream - We are all set! Party of Five - your reservation is ready!

But it is DARK out

2011-11-25T16:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was everything Thanksgiving was meant to be....fun, food, family....FANTASTIC! It was a busy day spent caring for puppies, playing with the doggies, enjoying the kids being home and spending a delicious meal with those we love. I finally got finished with all the chores around 10pm and my son asked if I wanted to go take a walk with him in the woods. Of course I said, "But it is DARK out!" My son evidently knew that. He said he would bring a glow stick for me. He also had charged up our glow in the dark doggie ball toy and said we could bring that too. He was all like - come on mom - come on - the stars are out - the doggies will like it -- you can work off your Thanksgiving feast. How could I resist? I really don't like the dark all that much. I especially do not like walking in the dark because...I CANNOT SEE! But I put all that in the back of my mind put on my winter coat and shoes and out the door I went with my son and doggies. Once we were outside......IT WAS DARK!!! It was really DARK! There was not even a shimmer of a moon glow. I could not see a THING. My son tossed the glow in the dark ball down the path and lit the way. Our chocolate labradoodle Olive took off after the glowing orb and I couldn't even see where she went. Next thing I know, a seemingly levitating glowing ball bouncing back toward us. It was pretty cool! We couldn't even see Olive because it was so dark out so it really looked like the ball was leaping back to us all on its own. We walked in the crisp darkness and enjoyed the thousands of stars in the sky. We enjoyed the doggies chasing the glowing ball. We enjoyed the silhouette of the trees in the darkness. A huge buck walked across the field towards us and we watched him disappear into the woods. We talked some, enjoyed the quiet some, laughed some - and when we got back home I thanked my son for the most enjoyable late night Thanksgiving walk. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-24T14:54:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving Day is finally here! The day to give thanks! The day to reflect over what means the most in your life, what brings smiles to your heart, what makes your life so blessed. The day to be thankful and to share thanks. I am sure this comes as no surprise, but what I am most thankful for in this entire world is my family. I am thankful I have a wonderful loving husband who is the very best father and the very best business partner and the very best friend to me, to our kids and to our furry kids as well! I am thankful my 3 children bring me more joy and happiness than I can ever express. They fill up my very being with love. I am thankful for my loving parents - both my parents and Mr. Yesteryear Acres parents who are also the very best grandparents. I am thankful for my sister. We have weathered many storms together and will always be the best of friends. I am thankful for my brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grand nephews. I am thankful for family. A family that sticks together. A family that cherishes one another. A family that supports you and loves you and is there for you in times of joy and also there for you in times of sadness. I am also eternally thankful and blessed to be able to share my life with all my furry doodle doggies and puppies and all the wonderful families that adopt our puppies. I have been so lucky to have made so many Yesteryear Acres Puppy Family friends. I love all the letters and emails and pictures and posts on Facebook. I love staying in touch and hearing all about our doodle doggies bringing joy and happiness. I live a very fulfilled, blessed and happy life. I thank you all!

Day before Thanksgiving Thankfulness

2011-11-23T12:37:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for the gigantic huge smile on my face. My younger daughter came home last night and EVERY one is excited she is here. The doggies are beside themselves with happiness. She has a parade of doggies following her every step she takes. They just can't get close enough. This morning she played fetch with some of our doggies and puppies and the smile on her face just warmed my heart. The things you miss most are the simplest things. She misses playing fetch and being covered in a pile of happy tail wagging puppies. I miss that too. After we were done playing with the puppies we got busy in the kitchen. We already have a loaf of honey oatmeal bread in the oven and we also made two pumpkin logs. Pumpkin logs are DELICIOUS sheet pan size pumpkin cake rolled up with cream cheese filling. It looks like an enormous Ho Ho when you are finished. Mmmmm. Just like always, my daughter was there to lick the cream cheese frosting off the whisk. That makes me happy too. I don't have big wishes or big dreams......I get all the joy and thanks I can ever want or need - just by having my family together doing normal family things. My older daughter comes home tonight and all will be right with the world. Happy Day Before Thanksgiving!!!!

November Thankfulness - Day 22 - And now the season begins

2011-11-22T18:40:00.001-05:00

Tonight my younger daughter comes home! I am pretty sure what I am thankful for today is now obvious!!!! One of my older daughter's friends attends the same University and she offered to give my daughter a ride home tonight. That saves me over 6 hours of driving! I am SO thankful for that! While she is on the road making her way here, I am busy getting everything ready. Laundry - check! Bedding washed and beds made - check! Delicious dinner in the oven - check! One very excited can't wait is it time yet when will she walk in the door Mom - check!!!! I am thankful that my family will all be together for Thanksgiving! Next year my older daughter is likely to be deployed somewhere so I am extra thankful that she will be home this Thanksgiving. As a sneak preview as to what I will be thankful for tomorrow ......my older daughter comes home tomorrow! My thankfulness cup runneth over. And now the season begins!!!!!!! So happy!

November Thankfulness - Day 21 - Conversations

2011-11-21T21:35:00.001-05:00

Time really flew by today and I still didn't get everything done that I was hoping to accomplish. It is 9:30pm and I still have about 2 more hours of work to do before I can take a break. It was just one long busy full day and tomorrow will be more of the same. With Thanksgiving right around the corner and puppies going home this weekend, my list of things to get done is pretty endless. Tonight after dinner my son started talking to me about what he wants to do when he gets older. What kind of career he would like to have and what type of activities he enjoys. I almost said that I was too busy to talk. I almost said that I have a ton of work to do and can we talk about this another time. And in only thinking about the work I have to do - I almost missed an opportunity to bond with my son. I am so thankful I put down my keyboard. I am so thankful I listened to what my son wanted to talk about. I am thankful that I took the time to realize that work is work - but talking with my son - that is something I never want to miss. We had a really great conversation. We talked about what majors in college lead to which career paths. We talked about the Naval Academy and how much he would like to go there. We talked about his future, his hopes, his dreams and all that he wants to accomplish. I am thankful to have a son that likes to talk to me. I am thankful that I am home and available when my son reaches out. I am thankful that even though I still have tons of work to do - none if it will ever be more important or more pressing than sharing an evening with my son. He has an amazing future ahead of him. I am so thankful I get to be a part of the planning.

November Thankfulness - Day 20 - Blogging

2011-11-20T14:18:00.001-05:00

I have been writing a daily blog for over two and a half years without missing a single day's entry. Most of the time, I know exactly what I am going to write about. Something happens during the day and I have the AHA! I AM GOING TO BLOG ABOUT THAT! moment. Every now and then I have a family member say, "OH NO! You are going to blog that aren't you???" And of course the answer is, "YES!" I like those days because the blog practically writes itself. Once in a while I am forced to stare at the blinking cursor racking my brains over something worth sharing. In all honesty - my days are very repetitive. I clean up puppy poop about every 30 minutes. I water the puppies every 2 hours and take ALL the puppies out and then ALL the puppies back in. By the time I get that done - it is time to do it all again! It doesn't matter if it is blazing hot or bitterly cold. Every day is pretty much the same routine. Same goes for Mr. Yesteryear Acres. Poop patrol, doggie feeding, washing doggie buckets etc. If I wrote, "hey I cleaned up poop" every time I did it, I could fill endless pages with puppy poop repetitive boredom. I clean a lot of poop! So I try to share a little insight into things other than puppy poop and share a bit of myself every day. My blogs immediately post on my blogger site. The second I hit "publish" there they are. Facebook used to have an import blog application and although it didn't fetch the blog every 2 hours like it was supposed to, it fetched my blog regularly enough that it kept my blogs fairly current. In early September the wise people at facebook decided to eliminate the fetching of blogs. Of course they didn't come out and say that - it was kind of like "WHERE IN THE HECK is the import blog button???" Once they admitted they removed that ability, I have been working hard for a solution. About 2 weeks ago, I added the Networked Blogs app and had it go fetch my blog. It does it very reliably but the blogs don't appear in the newsfeed. I found that out today when a few people let me know they missed me. I was thinking, "where did I go?" I have still been writing every day. So I think I will try to manually post the link into my status along with the Networked Blog app and hopefully that will work. My thankfulness for today???? Thank you to everyone who reads my blog. I am thankful that you like my writing. I am thankful that you tune in to see what is going on here at Yesteryear Acres. I am thankful for all the feedback. I am thankful for all the comments. I am thankful that my writing touches you, makes you laugh, makes you think, makes you appreciate and hug your family just a little more than you did the day before. I am thankful to all my readers. THANK YOU! Tune in tomorrow! You know I will be here!

November Thankfulness - Day 19 - Weekends

2011-11-19T16:54:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for the weekends. Well actually more specifically - I am thankful for the days when my son is home. We don't really have "weekends" here at Yesteryear Acres. Saturday brings the same amount of work that Tuesday does. There is no Friday night celebration because the work week is over. We have a 7 day work week, 52 weeks of the year. The only way to tell that it is in fact "the weekend" is that my son is home from school. I get to see his smiling face and hang out with him for 2 days straight. Today Mr. Yesteryear Acres, my son, and I all had a lovely lunch together. We got to chat about all kinds of things and it was nice just to have some time to sit and relax before getting back to work. I like Saturday nights because my son doesn't have homework looming over his head and we have time to catch up on a TV show from the week and enjoy some popcorn and ice cream for the night's festivities. Sunday morning brings family breakfast. Tomorrow Mr. Yesteryear Acres is going all out with a full Sunday morning feast. He is making sausages, eggs, pancakes - the works. Pretty soon oranges will be in season and we will have fresh squeezed orange juice to go along with our Sunday feasting. Nothing tastes better on Sunday morning than a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. It is one of my most favorite things in the entire world. Even though we work just as hard -if not harder - on the "weekends" we get to do the work all together and that makes the weekends the best part of each week. Weekends equal more family time.....and for that - I am ALWAYS thankful!!!!!

November Thankfulness - Day 18 - Love Nature

2011-11-18T19:06:00.001-05:00

Today I took the time out of my day to go take a walk at the beautiful arboretum that is close to our home. It has over 3,000 acres of lovely nature to enjoy. I just love going there. It is so peaceful and so beautiful. You can't help but be in awe when surrounded by nothing but trees and pastures and flowers, and rolling hills as far as your eye can see. It can really rejuvenate your very soul. As I walked today, I didn't even wear my headphones. I usually have music playing as I do my exercise walk - but it was just so crisp and cool and blue and beautiful outside today, I decided just to soak it all in. I listened to the crunching of the leaves under my feet, watched the squirrels chase each other for the last of autumn's harvest and admired the difference in the landscape now that autumn is coming to a close. The views were much different today as opposed to one month ago when all the trees were still full of leaves. It felt a bit desolated as the trees were bare and there was not one single soul out walking today. I did have to break out the winter coat and gloves but I am prepared to brave the cold air in exchange for breathing in a little bit of Nature's blessings. I am glad I did. The walk was serene and peaceful and reminded me once again how thankful I am for the Nature that surrounds me. I feel blessed to be among the trees and fields of green. It is a beautiful place to be.

November Thankfulness - Day 17 - One Week to Go

2011-11-17T17:58:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful that there is just only one week left until Thanksgiving! One more week until my family is together. One more week until the feasting begins. Mmmmmmm Turkey! Mmmmmm Pumpkin Pie! Mmmmmmm Stuffing! I love Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving food. I mean it is the BEST meal of the entire year. I think it has to do with all the love that goes into the cooking. Everyone preparing their favorite dishes. Everyone looking forward to the gathering of family and friends. Every single dish has so much love in it -how can it not taste heavenly? I truly believe in the spirit of Thanksgiving. A day made solely for being thankful. We always go around the table and express what we are most thankful for and it always comes down to the same thing. We are thankful for family. We are thankful for love. We are thankful to be gathered together around the table sharing a meal prepared with love for those we love. It is my favorite holiday. I feel thankful every day and in just one more week - It will be THANKFUL THANKSGIVING DAY!!!!! I can't wait!

November Thankfulness - Day 16 - I am Dry!

2011-11-16T20:28:00.001-05:00

Oh today marks a milestone in puppy housebreaking progress! AND I am SO thankful! Today I stood on my porch, where it was dry, and opened the door for the puppy and she went outside ALL by herself to go potty! YEA! I didn't have to go out in the rain! I didn't have to walk through the wet grass. I didn't have to sing the "Go Potty...Go Potty" song. In just two short weeks, the little light bulb has gone on in my puppy's head and "let's go potty" has become a million times easier. This is a very good thing to be thankful for. This is a very big step in the housebreaking happiness. I honestly think the trip to Annapolis sped up the whole process. When I was there I had to carry the puppy down 5 flights of stairs, all the while she was thinking, "I can't wait to get to the bottom so I can go potty". Once we finally made it outside, she had to pee immediately. She hit the grass - and she was done. The long anticipation of getting outside probably made her more cognizant of what was expected of her once we got to the grass. Who knew that a long road trip, a hotel room on the 5th floor, a long road trip back would actually accelerate the housebreaking process? This is a November Thankfulness that will last and last and last. Tomorrow morning..... I am staying in my pajamas! On the porch! And I will be DRY! YES!

November Thankfulness - Day 15 - Handyman

2011-11-15T19:58:00.001-05:00

Oh my did we have storms race through our town last night. Tornado warnings, 2+ inches of rain in less than 30 minutes, winds, thunder, lightening. It was a good one. Our creek turned into rapids in minutes and our whole backyard looked like a swamp. The tornado sirens were all blaring and Mr. Yesteryear Acres got out all the emergency supplies, candles, flashlights, emergency radio, etc. We are very efficient with our storm protocol. We have it down to a science. Just like clockwork - after about the 3rd lightening strike - we lost electricity. I am fairly certain we are on some electric company circuit that is so sensitive that a tickle from a feather would cause a blackout. We always have to be prepared. We had all the doggies in the basement with us and waited for the tornado warning to pass. Eventually the electricity came back on and it was 12:30am by the time I headed up to bed. As soon as I got up to my bed, I asked Mr. Yesteryear Acres what the heck was all over my pillows. They were covered in white pieces of "dirt" and it was everywhere. When I got closer, I realized it was in fact....plaster.....from the ceiling....on my VERY VERY WET pillows! The roof was leaking, through the attic, all the way through the ceiling, all the way to my poor poor pillows. Now Mr. Yesteryear Acres was already in bed. With 3 doggies. All snuggled up for the night. Did he notice the "drip, drip, drip" onto my pillows? No. Did he notice that my pillows now weighed approximately 50lbs each from soaking up all the water? Nope. Did he notice that the ceiling was still dripping water ON THE BED? Nope again. sigh. Who doesn't notice water pouring from the ceiling???? I dug out a huge bucket to catch the dripping water and got Mr. Yesteryear Acres to help move the bed so that we wouldn't end up swimming in the middle of the night. Can anyone guess what the new repair project is? Yep - Roof Repair. Today's thankfulness is that I am so thankful that I am married to a real life Handyman. Mr. Yesteryear Acres can fix anything. I just wish his "fix-it" list wasn't quite so long! Living in a house that was built in 1823 means that at any given time - something needs repaired and Mr. Yesteryear Acres is our handyman repairman. He is on call 24/7 and is the most dedicated, reliable, hardworking, loving handyman. I am thankful to have him for all our many never ending projects. Speaking of which....time to get the big ladder out.. again. Thank you Mr. Yesteryear Acres!

November Thankfulness - Day 14 - A Baker's Dozen

2011-11-14T20:19:00.001-05:00

Today I am so thankful for the 13 little beautiful puppies that were born to our sweet Juneau and Barkley. This is Juneau's very first litter and she did an AWESOME job! She was a little confused when the first puppy popped out. She had a look on her face like "Where Did That Come From???" Once she started licking the little puppy clean and the puppy nestled up next to her - the next 12 puppies were a breeze. She had it figured out completely and lined her little babies up one by one. We have TEN boys and three girls in red caramel, caramel and caramel cream coloring. They are all plump and healthy little puppies. That is THIRTEEN reasons to be thankful.....wait let's make it 14 reasons. Juneau gets the biggest thanks of all!!!

Puppy Pile of Cuddles!

Little sweet babies

A little curly boy

A wavy coated little girl

Thank you Juneau!!!!

November Thankfulness - Day 13 - sniff sniff

2011-11-13T19:45:00.001-05:00

I said my goodbyes to my older daughter this morning and made the long drive back to Ohio. You would think after almost 4 years of visiting my daughter at the Naval Academy I would be able to do a simple goodbye without feeling so sad. As always - I am a trooper when saying goodbye. I look cheery. I smile a big smile. I look quite happy. I give her one last goodbye and talk about how we will see each other again before too long and climb into my car. I slowly drive away, looking in the rear view mirror to give last minute waves goodbye and drive off. Without fail - within 10 minutes of my leaving her, the tears run down my face. I can't help it. I hate saying goodbye. I still feel like my daughters should live in my home and I should be able to see them every day and eat dinner with them every night and chat about all the things that happened during the day. Emotionally - I feel like they should still be with me but logically - I wouldn't want them to be anyplace else. sigh. It is a battle that lies within my mom heart. I know they miss me too so we are equally sad. Our hearts are full of wishing we were together. I thought about my sadness on my drive home and decided that for today - I will be thankful for the sadness in my heart. I am thankful for the sadness because I know, without a doubt, no one feels this much sadness in saying goodbye without having a heart full of love. A heart that has spent every moment being loved by my children and loving them back. I know that the in order to miss my daughters to this extent only means that I love them with equal intensity. And so I will embrace the sadness and be glad that I am lucky enough to be sad in missing my girls. My heart is filled with a great love. Who can ask for anything more to be thankful for?

November Thankfulness - Day 12 - 5 flights up

2011-11-12T20:02:00.001-05:00

I am staying on the 5th floor of a hotel while visiting my daughter here in Annapolis. My daughter often says that the very hardest part about being at the Naval Academy is missing the doggies. She can deal with missing her family because we can call and text and email but the doggies - there just is no substitute for a furry best friend snuggled in your lap. On this trip I brought a puppy along so that my daughter could get some puppy snuggles. I thought it was a great idea and so nice of me. What I didn't think about was how much work it would be to bring the puppy. First of course there was the puppy car sickness fun on the way here. I am very much looking forward to part 2 tomorrow when the puppy and I travel back home. But that isn't the hard part. The hard part isn't training the puppy or taking care of the puppy or watching the puppy. The hard part is....I am on the 5th floor which means - every hour or so - I walk down 5 flights of stairs, take the puppy outside, do the "go potty, go potty...GOOD GIRL" routine, and then walk back up 5 flights of stairs. Next hour - down 5 flights, "go potty" routine, up 5 flights. Next hour - repeat. I didn't know I signed up for the stairmaster program for the weekend! I know...I know...I could take the elevator but that means walking all the way down the hall, waiting for the slowest elevator in the world with a puppy that really really has to pee, and then being stopped by everyone in the lobby who wants to play with the cute puppy, and then walking all the way around back to the clean wooded area for the puppy to go pee. If I take the stairs - I am down in a flash - I exit right by the wooded area - and I am back up...the....five.....flights....of.....stairs....huff...puff...huff. I think I might be getting in shape at this point. I think I might be toned and awesome and all that. I think that is me telling myself a big lie because each flight of stairs only brings huffing and puffing and I am sure I am really not in shape despite my lengthy stairmaster routine. So today the thing I am most thankful for, the thing that brings me the greatest joy, the thing that is my Day 12 of Thankfulness is........ I am thankful I am not on the 6th floor!

November Thankfulness - Day 11/11/11

2011-11-11T18:58:00.001-05:00

Happy Veteran's Day! Today's thankfulness moment was on my mind the moment I woke up. Veteran's Day is a day to remember and show thanks to all our veterans. We thank them for their service, for their dedication, for their selflessness. We thank them for giving up so much of their lives, their wants, their needs so that we can enjoy our freedom and liberties. My older daughter was given the day off from the Naval Academy today and I am sharing the day with her. To say that I am thankful for the day is an understatement. I don't get many days during the year to spend with her and to spend Veteran's Day with her is even more special. I am thankful for this. I am thankful for the Veterans. I am thankful.

November Thankfulness - Day 10 - Bath in a Bottle

2011-11-10T18:34:00.001-05:00

Today I spent ALL day in the car. ALL day. With puppies. All alone. I loaded up the puppy mobile early this morning and hit the road. I had puppies to deliver and I decided to bring the puppy I am housebreaking along with me for company. The puppies that were being delivered were SO good. They didn't cry. They didn't pee in the car. They played happily together and were good little puppies. Blossom (my little puppy) however decided that she would be a great representative of just how fun a car sick doggie is to travel with. I knew we were going to be in trouble about 20 minutes into the trip. I was all set up with the waterproof pads and paper towels but the drool started flowing freely before I even got to the interstate and even the paper towels couldn't stop that. Our first episode of throwing up happened right as I was cruising along Interstate 70. Trucks were on either side of me and up came the first pile. (Notice how I said "first".....there is more to come). I felt very proud of myself for being prepared with the waterproof pad. I even thought, "YAY! It all landed on the waterproof pad!" As I was driving, keeping in the lines, keeping my eyes on the road - I started carefully rolling up the waterproof pad making sure not to drip anything on the car seats. I am still of course thinking that I am awesome. Once I got the waterproof pad rolled up and stored on the floor on the passenger side......yes.....up came pile #2. This time no thoughts of awesomeness came to my mind. In fact as the trip progressed the only thought I had was, "HOW can there by anything left to throw up?!" So I am sure you are wondering WHAT am I thankful for today? Well it is a very easy thankful thought! I am thankful for "Miracle Groom". This is a wonderful spray in a bottle that is a waterless bath. It was a MIRACLE indeed today! After each lovely "present" Blossom left for me - I cleaned her up with Miracle Groom and she was as clean and lovely smelling as when we left the house. It really saved me today! Whoever thought of putting a puppy bath in a portable spritz bottle is a genius! I am VERY thankful!!!!! And don't worry - Blossom is feeling quite fine now and we arrived safely!

November Thankfulness - Day 9 - Garden Goodness

2011-11-09T21:03:00.001-05:00

Tonight we had our very last fresh meal from our garden for the year. Mr. Yesteryear Acres picked the last of the fresh leeks and carrots from the garden and I made a cream of leek and potato soup for dinner with garlic croutons that I made from scratch. It was DELICIOUS. I even took the time to grate all the potatoes so that each bite would be filled with potato yumminess. Mr. Yesteryear Acres had several bowls. It was that good. Our garden is now officially empty. We are sad to see the end of the garden season but happy with all the garden goodness we have ready for the winter months. We work really hard all summer long to preserve our veggies from the garden. Our usual summer haul is
110 Quarts of Fresh Tomatoes
65 pints of sweet corn
55 quart bags of green beans
26 pints of Salsa
12 gallons of beets
6 gallons of peaches
26 pints of strawberry jam
6 gallons of vegetable soup
and 8-10 gallons of roasted vegetables
It takes a TON of work to get all of those vegetables picked, prepared and processed. Sometimes I spend 10 hours a day just peeling tomatoes. If you saw our trailer full of fresh picked sweet corn in need of husking, cooking and cutting the corn from the cobs - you might be tempted to run away. The only thing that keeps us going is knowing just how good all the garden goodness will taste during the winter months. And so we do it. It is never fun but the rewards are just so darn tasty it is worth it. Today's Thankfulness is dedicated to enjoying all our summer's wonderful bounty. I am so thankful for our garden's delicious vegetables. I am thankful we put in the hard work. I am thankful that the garden was so good to us. And I am especially thankful that the garden work is done and all that is left to do is...... enjoy!

November Thankfulness - Day 8 - Voting Doodle Doggie

2011-11-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

Election Day. Sometimes a day that feels like you have the inconvenience of squeezing just one more thing into an already full day. Other times a day that feels like getting out and driving to the election poles and getting wet/cold/tired/ might not be worth it.... but it is. It really is. Having a voice is something every American should treasure. We have the right to be heard. We have the right to vote. We have a say in who runs our country, what laws need amended and what policies should be enacted. This is a treasured right and so for today's thankfulness- I am thankful for the right to vote. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I went to the poles together. We brought one of our cute little doodles along to help us in the voting process. While Mr. Yesteryear Acres went inside and voted, I stayed outside and our little doodle was the official greeter and welcomer to all that voted. It was a nice socialization interaction for our doodle doggie and put a lot of smiles on the voters' faces. This was the first time for our doodle to meet people using canes and she was a bit curious at first but then realized it was nothing to be concerned with and greeted everyone with equal enthusiasm. We got to say "hi" to some senior citizens and kept some younger citizens company. When it was my turn to vote, Mr. Yesteryear Acres took over and he did the same. In the end we got 3 "I Voted Today" stickers. One for me. One for Mr. Yesteryear Acres. One for our very proud to be an American, Thankful for the right to vote, Doodle Doggie! She is proudly wearing her sticker on her collar. Way to go Voting Doodle Doggie!

November Thankfulness - Day 7 - The little things

2011-11-07T18:19:00.000-05:00

Today's thankfulness is all about the little things. Not every day is a magnificently special unbelievable WOW day. Most days are just normal days. Nothing especially interesting. Nothing especially dreadful. Just a run of the mill normal day. You might not even think to give thanks on these days. Nothing really sticks in your mind as being memorable and before you know it, the whole day is gone just like that. The thing is - if you look for things to be thankful for - then even your run of the mill normal days will provide you with plenty of gratefulness. Today was one of those busy days full of nonstop work but here are a few of the little things that made me smile. I love getting texts from my 2 daughters that just say "Hi Mommy" or "I love you" I get one just about every day. That always puts a smile on my face. I got my mountain of laundry COMPLETELY folded - so again - another reason to smile. I trimmed all the puppy toes today and was thankful that I had cute little puppy nails to trim. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I had lunch together today and I was thankful to share a few minutes with him. This evening when I was outside at dusk, the bright moon was rising in the sky and the silhouette was really beautiful. As I was admiring the moon, a bluebird flew right in front of me and sat in the limb of the tree. I took a moment to just stop and breathe and take in the beautiful scenery that surrounded me. I am always so thankful for the beauty in nature. I guess the thing I am most thankful for today - is that I never forget to give thanks. I think a grateful life is a happy life. Here's to all the little smiles that add up to one happy day.

November Thankfulness - Day 6 - Red Beauty

2011-11-06T20:07:00.001-05:00

Today as I was walking my dog the hill behind our house was literally aglow with the setting sun. It almost looked like the hillside was on fire. Every leaf was illuminated with the colors of the setting sun. The reds were particularly brilliant. I then started thinking about how beautiful the color red is in nature. My favorite trees in autumn are the magnificent red ones. Some trees are just so red they take your breath away. I have a big tree out back that has the most beautiful red leaves and this afternoon my dog and I walked on a carpet of red leaves. I took time to admire each one. I thought about my favorite sunrises and sunsets - they are always the ones with the deepest reds. A red cardinal in winter is a lovely sight. A big red harvest moon can make me stop everything I am doing just to take in the breathtaking view. There is no sweeter sight in June than red strawberries ripening on the vine. How about the first red tomato of the summer? My mouth starts watering as soon as I set my eyes upon the precious prize of summertime. Red roses, red hearts of love, red flames of a campfire warming the night - all bring smiles right to my soul. Today I am thankful for the color red. It may seem like a simple thing to be thankful for - but just think how much beauty that one color brings to our lives. Red - the color of love - thank you.

November Thankfulness - Day 5 - Laundry Mountain

2011-11-05T16:56:00.000-04:00

So far today I have washed 3,652 loads of laundry. I have at least 812 loads left to wash. Okay, okay - that might be a SLIGHT exaggeration but I am not kidding when I say I am doing wash load after wash load after wash load. Why you ask? There is a slight chance that my ever so dear 15 year old son forgot what dresser drawers are. There is also a chance that his clothes were scattered over the entire surface area of his room. And in that same vein, there is an additional chance that no one, not even the greatest mastermind of all time, could decipher which of those heaps of clothing were in fact clean and which of those heaps of clothes were dirty. I can tell you that to do a "sniff" test to see which clothes were clean only resulted in immediate gagging and near fainting from the toxic fumes. The only recourse - wash everything. And so - I am stuck for the entire weekend washing clothes. I have to hold my breath, reach into the bags holding the dirty clothes, shove them in the washer as quickly as I can, pour in the laundry soap and then gasp for air before I pass out. I then select the ultimate wash where the load is sanitized and it takes approximately 2 hours before the washer determines it has indeed rid itself of the putrid stench. Then of course the clothes go into the dryer where the lint catcher is forced to extract all the Labrador retriever dog hair clumps from the clothing. I think I could make a sweater just from my lint collection. I also am amazed/concerned/bewildered/shocked at all the very TINY clothes that are coming from my son's room. I don't believe he has been a boy's size 8-10 for quite some time but I have witnessed a number of small tiny shirts thrown into the wash. Hmmmmm. Could it be that this enormous project was long overdue????? By the end of the weekend my hope is that all the clothes are clean. All the small clothes are ready to be donated to a boy that is not 6'3" and clearly too tall for those sizes. And finally, all the clean clothes not only make it upstairs to this certain tall boy's room BUT also make it INSIDE the drawers. A mom can dream can't she??? So in all my washings and foldings and sortings and breath holding - my November Thankfulness for today is - Washing Machines! Thank goodness I have a nice big washer that can wash and sanitize all those clothes! Thank goodness I can get other work done at home while my washing machine does all the hard work. And thank goodness the clothes smell SO much better now!!!!!

November Thankfulness - Day 4 - OH you mean WHERE I go!

2011-11-04T18:24:00.000-04:00

For all of you that have had the extreme joy of housebreaking a puppy, take solace in the fact that I have done it many, many, many, many, many, many, (did I mention many?) times. I am in the process of housebreaking a puppy right now. Yes, I do get up from my chair a gazillion times. Yes, I have faced frustrations and setbacks just like everyone else. And yes, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. The biggest obstacle in housebreaking a puppy is realizing - that it IS just a little puppy. They have limitations. Their brains aren't so far developed that they can instinctively read human thoughts. Even though clearly YOU are standing out in the drizzly rain, with frost forming on your toes, and shivering because you ran out in only a robe and slippers - the puppy isn't thinking about you. The puppy might not even be thinking about going potty. The puppy might be thinking - "What does THAT leaf taste like?" or "OH WOW! Did you see that butterfly??" As much as you want the puppy to ONLY be thinking about going potty - it just doesn't work that way. First of all it takes a while for the puppy to make the connection between peeing and receiving praise. In the beginning, the puppy has no idea that the act of peeing causes the human to be so darn happy. It takes a while before the puppy can connect - peeing = joy. Then we move onto the next step. Picture this - YOU are a puppy. You just peed outside. For some reason your human is jumping up and down for joy because you peed. You don't know why. You had to pee - so you peed. Why is this a cause for celebration? How can peeing cause that much excitement? Now picture the next step....you are still the puppy....and you pee inside the house. Now the human is MAD! The human is fuming and yelling and running around with towels and spray! Perhaps the human lost her mind! One second the human is joyful over pee. The next second the human is mad about pee. Don't you wish that human could make up her mind???? And why is she scrubbing away all that delightful pee smell? How is that productive? Pee smells wonderful. Clearly - the human is crazy. This routine continues until one day, a little light goes off in the puppy brain. The puppy has an AHA! moment! AHA! It is not THAT I pee that causes joy....it is WHERE I pee!!!!!! Well why didn't you say so in the first place?????? My November Thankfulness for Day 4 is for the AHA moment. I give thanks for when a puppy looks at you after it pees outside and has the proudest look on its face and it is just waiting for the preponderance of praise. You can see it. The puppy is clearly saying - I just peed OUTSIDE and that makes you happy. What a good little puppy!!!!

November Thankfulness - Day 3 ....Slide Show Happiness

2011-11-03T22:01:00.001-04:00

I have my new computer working fairly well now. I can do almost everything I need to do with only a few minor adjustment here and there. Every now and then I open a document that says I am NOT the owner and I do NOT have permission but I am pretty quick at fixing it so I think I am on my way to having the new computer function as my main one. Right beside me is my good ole laptop. It is still hanging in there although I rarely use it now. I don't have the heart to close the lid and turn it off because my screen saver is a slide show of every single picture I have stored on my computer. Since I am not using my laptop, I get a continual slide show of goodness that never needs interrupted. As I work on my new computer, I can look right next to it and see my lovely photos. It goes something like this - puppy, puppy, puppy, dog, child, puppy, puppy, puppy, dog, Mr. Yesteryear Acres, puppy, puppy, puppy, dog, me. You can tell I have a zillion puppy pictures on there! I am SO enjoying all my pictures!!!! I normally don't have time to look at them. The second I sit down to work at my computer, I wiggle my mouse and alas, my pictures are gone. Now I can watch my pictures click by as I work all day long. I LOVE it and today's thankfulness is all about my slide show happiness. I have been able to go down memory lane AND get my work done. It is perfect! I am very thankful to have taken so many great pictures. I love seeing how little my kids once were. I love seeing how much they have grown. I love watching smile after smile after smile of happy memories flash on my screen. It is a constant show of love, happiness and good times. Who doesn't love that??? I don't know if I will ever be able to turn off my laptop now! It has been far more entertaining than I ever imagined.
Here are a few that made me smile today

We have been raising puppies a long time!

I can't believe how little my kids are in this picture.

This was back in the day where the best toy in the whole wide world was a big cardboard box.

Unbelievably - this is the last picture we have of all 5 of us together. I think it is time for a new family photo!

The day my daughter was inducted at the United States Naval Academy. My son still wears that hat almost every single day. It no longer looks anything like it did in this picture!

Oh remember when he was sooooo little?? I could just hug him and stand over him and be taller than him????

He hasn't changed at all.

Either have we!

November Thankfulness

2011-11-02T18:06:00.000-04:00

Egad! Yesterday was November First!!!! The month of Thanksgiving! The month of Thankfulness! My day was so hard yesterday that I totally forgot to start my month of things I am things I am thankful for. November is such a special month that every single day should be devoted to giving thanks. Thanksgiving Day just isn't long enough to put all that goodness into one short day. We need to spread the gratefulness throughout the whole month! A friend of mine and I have been doing this for years. It really makes November even MORE special!
SO - yesterday - even with all the sadness - I still had many things to be grateful for. I think the thing I am most grateful for yesterday is puppy hugs and puppy love. Nothing heals a heart faster than a puppy all snuggled up in your lap. Puppies just love you. They love you when you are happy and they love you when you are sad. I think they might give you even MORE love and snuggles when you are sad. I know my little doggies and puppies and big doggies gave me lots of extra love yesterday. I really needed it and was so grateful to have them in my life. November 1st Day of Thankfulness - PUPPY LOVE!
November 2 - Day of Thankfulness - today I am glad to get some much needed housework done. My kitchen has kind of looked as though a Bakery, a Garden and a Zoo all exploded inside. It has needed some TLC and I have been so busy, I just haven't gotten it done. I had clean dishes piled up. Unopened mail. Spilled flour that kind of dusted my carpet along with garden tools, cauliflower tidbits and maybe....just maybe a dog biscuit or two. Today I made it my mission to tackle the kitchen! I made great progress too! I am grateful to have my clean kitchen back! Spice rack - all clean! Every jar of spice that I own - all clean! Bookcase - clean! Oven - clean! Stainless steel fronts on appliances - clean! Oh happy me! Now what do you think I will do in my very clean, very perfect, very lovely kitchen????? Make homemade spaghetti and meatballs of course! Oh well - I am sure my kitchen will look delightful in red!!!!!

Tears and Sadness

2011-11-01T17:35:00.002-04:00

Watching those you love consumed with grief is one of the hardest things in life. Our dear sweet neighbor's funeral was one of those heartbreaking moments of pure and utter sadness. I know I will never forget the image of Larry draped over his wife's coffin saying his final goodbyes. Larry and Joanne were the kind of couple that did everything together. Every errand, every doctor visit, every lunch outing. They have been married for 53 years and they were always together. Every time we see them they are smiling. I don't think there has ever been a day that I have seen Larry without a smile. He is a genuinely happy content and grateful human being. You could see how much Larry could hardly bear to say goodbye to his beloved wife. We all left the room for a little while so he could say his last goodbye in peace. Larry had a lot of hugs for us today - and a lot of tears. I felt his pain right to my very soul. I have never seen Larry cry - I was reduced to pure and complete sorrow. When we arrived home from the funeral - more sadness followed. Our sweet chocolate labradoodle Fergie accidentally smothered one of her puppies while we were gone. We found the puppy lying underneath her. I guess maybe Joanne needed a puppy friend in heaven today. Later this afternoon after I was able to pull myself together - I went over to Larry's house to visit with his youngest granddaughter. She was all alone sitting outside in the grass. She had the hardest time today saying goodbye to her grandma. I brought a puppy with me and we played outside together. We were both able to smile and laugh at the cute puppy antics and for a little while, our hearts healed just a little bit. I let her soak in all the puppy hugs she wanted and the puppy gladly obliged. I think the puppy knew she needed a lot of extra snuggling. Now that I am back home, I think I will do the same. Puppy hugs are needed all around.

Thunder Hail

2011-10-31T20:00:00.000-04:00

It is Halloween right? October 31st? Not quite yet November? Well someone should tell Mother Nature that! During dinner tonight the skies opened up and hail came plummeting to the ground. It was thundering and lightning and the ground became completely white within minutes. Our road out front had inches of ice before we could even get our jackets on. Of course since our road is the official autobahn of the United States - we had THREE accidents happen within minutes of the thunder hailstorm. I do not know what in the world is just so earth shatteringly important that the drivers around here have to FLY around the corner - but they do. And we have accidents on the bend way too often. Tonight was a complete mess. Cars in the ditches. Cars hitting cars. We had firetrucks, ambulances and police cars. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son were once again first on the scene. While other drivers sat in their cars waiting for the hail to stop, Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son were helping the injured motorists. The fact that NO one got out of their car is very disturbing. They had time to be on their phones. They had time to complain that they were now going to be late getting home but NO one got out to help. Granted it was hailing and storming but come on! I am pretty darn sure a little snow and ice wouldn't have hurt them. Seriously - Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son were the only ones out in the hailstorm until the emergency crews arrived. Luckily all the injuries appeared to be minor. My son got to wait with the Fire Chief for the jaws of life to arrive. This past spring my son's class had a youth-in-government day. My son was the official Fire Chief for the day and the Fire Chief remembered him. My guess is that "I want to be a fireman when I grow up" might be talked about again here for the next few weeks. If this weather keeps up - he will have a lot of practice.

Treasure the Memories

2011-10-30T18:11:00.000-04:00

Sad day. Our dear neighbor Joanne passed away. She was battling cancer and we all thought she had at least another 6 months to live. Joanne passed away suddenly and although she is pain free now - we are all so saddened by her passing. The very first people to greet us here at Yesteryear Acres were our neighbors. We share a long driveway together and we deliver mail to one another every day. We share our love of the countryside, nature and the love of family. Joanne's husband, Larry, was my son's very first friend. We moved here to Yesteryear Acres when my son was just 2 years old. Larry used to raise cattle and every single day my son helped to feed the cows. Each night at dinner we would go around the table and ask everyone what their favorite thing of the day was. For about 2 years straight my son's answer was always, "Feeding the Moo Moos with Larry". My son actually called our house, "The Moo Moo Brick House". Since then Larry and my son have done lots of fun things together and their friendship has grown as has ours. Whenever I can't find Mr. Yesteryear Acres, I know he is over at the neighbor's house enjoying good conversations. We are more than just neighbors - we are the closest of friends. And so today we say goodbye to one of our closest friends. We will miss Joanne's smiles, her warmth and her love of our family. We will be here for Larry and help him through the hard times that lie ahead. The fragility of life once again reminds me that each and every day we need to remember to be grateful. Remember to show our loved ones how much we care. Remember to be thankful for all we are given. Remember to be grateful for sunny days, rainy days, snowy days and all that life sends our way. Life is a gift that sometimes fades away all too soon. Be grateful for the gift and treasure the memories.

Unpacked....Not quite

2011-10-29T17:49:00.003-04:00

So today's big goal of unpacking my suitcase.....FAIL. It is still sitting there. It is still full of clothes. It is still taunting me. I think it purposefully tripped me this morning as a subtle reminder that I need to empty it. Here's the thing - the suitcase is full of sundresses. It has nothing but sandals and t-shirts and little cute sundresses - none of which are needed right now! I mean it is COLD outside! I have to unpack my suitcase, wash all the summer clothes and then put them away until next year. Clearly it isn't a MUST DO when I don't even need the dresses right now. So once again the unpacking got moved to the bottom of the list. Tomorrow I will unpack. I am sure of it. I must cross that off the list. So what did I do today instead of unpacking???? Play with puppies of course!!!! I mean THAT is a necessity! I even took some pictures of the puppies while they were romping about outside.

Trick or Treat!

I am ready for my close up!

Did somebody say dinner????

We weren't eating the leaves!

I look so much better without scrambled eggs on my nose!

SUNBATH TIME!

See isn't that WAY better than unpacking summer clothes????

Time for Catching Up

2011-10-28T21:43:00.002-04:00

I have been up late every night this week in an attempt to catch up on all my work. I think the earliest I have gone to bed is 1:15am. This morning I was supposed to make a puppy delivery and I was just SO tired. I was worried I might fall asleep so Mr. Yesteryear Acres agreed to make the drive instead. Yay for Mr. Yesteryear Acres! Even though this was a HUGE favor for me - I know that secretly Mr. Yesteryear Acres was very happy about the arrangement. One - he didn't have to clean up poop for the day. Two - he didn't have to do Farm Chores for the day. Three - he didn't have to pretend to work in the bedroom for the day. Four - any guesses to what store might be EXACTLY on the way home from the puppy delivery? If you guessed Cabelas - well then you win the prize. Mr. Yesteryear Acres left at 7:00am this morning with the hopes of returning by 2:00pm. Hmmmmm. Who thinks he got home on time? Who thinks he walked in the door at 7:15pm? 12 hours after he left this morning? Yes - that would be Mr. Yesteryear Acres. He had a nice break for the day and was quite happy to do something a little different. Even though I knew Mr. Yesteryear Acres would be glad to do the puppy delivery, I promised to tackle the Laundry Mountain in our living room, finish working on transferring the files to the new computer AND would make a delightful dinner. I got our Laundry Mountain all folded AND put away. I almost needed hiking boots to get to the top! I ended up fixing the new computer and got my website loaded and ready to go. That was a major accomplishment on my part. For dinner - well I just happened to make Chicken Piccata with artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes in a lemon sauce, garlic noodles, caramelized brown butter cauliflower and homemade honey oatmeal bread. I also trimmed a few doggies today - so I really get the gold star. I got ALL my work done. Well not ALL because the kitchen still needs cleaning, the floors need vacuuming, the bathrooms need scrubbing......oh well. I accomplished my goals for the day and got the work done on today's list. Tomorrow? Puppy visits and maybe just maybe I will have time to unpack from my trip! Good plan!

I AM the owner!!!!

2011-10-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

It is no secret that my laptop computer has been dying a slow and painful death. It is simply heartbreaking. My dear old computer friend is whirring and grinding and trying ever so hard to function properly. I have been battling to the end with my programs and files and finally broke down and bought a new computer. You would think I would be happy! You would think it would be joyous! Alas - it is NOT. First for some odd reason - my new computer does not think that I am the owner of ANY of my imported files. If I try to open a document it says that I do not have access privileges. ACK! So then I have to right click and change ownership then exit then re-open and then grant permissions and WHAT IN THE HECK!? I have at least 500 GB worth of files! I cannot open each file individually! I will be here until I am 60! I tried registry edits. I tried Grant Admin Full Control. I tried Take Ownership. I cannot get it to work unless I spend about 90 seconds per file to change its properties. There is no joy on my face. I mean I know I should take great happiness in the fact my files are THERE but really - every single file says I am not the owner. I AM the owner!!! WAH!!!!! I know that if I ever get this thing working, I will be happy because I have a bright new shiny big screen and I have a serious need for reading glasses so it will someday be AWESOME. Just not today. Or tomorrow. Or maybe not until the year 2031 when I finish editing all the properties on my computer. Even my pictures say I cannot open them! I have 100 GB of photos! Sigh. I wish I had my old friend back. Even with the whirring - it was a faithful friend that knew - I AM the owner!!!!!

Sisters

2011-10-26T21:36:00.000-04:00

The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend. ~Cali Rae Turner
This could not be more true. When my sister and I were younger we only had each other. It was us against the world. Despite the fact my sister is 5 years younger than I am, we played together all the time. Any game she wanted to play, I wanted to play and vice versa. We could spend hours making pretend soup out of grass and leaves or making elaborate treasure maps with only a cracker being the big treasure at the end. We didn't have it easy growing up but we had each other. Now that we are grown with families of our own, we still have each other. We have faced some tough times in our adult lives as well but the one thing that has always remained constant is that my sister loves me and I love her. She is always there to support me and if I ever need her, I know all I would have to do is call and she would be here for me in an instant. We are forever best friends. Even though the miles separate us - we are always together in our hearts. This past weekend we made sure to take lots of pictures of us together so we could look back on our fun weekend until the next time we get to see each other again.

Here we are at the Santa Monica Pier.

We made it!

Yea!!! The Beach!

Pacific Ocean. So happy!

Muscle Beach. Yes. It is that awesome!

Are we in the Central Perk Cafe from the show Friends?

Yes! Yes we are!

Could that be Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino?

Yes! Yes it is!

Hooray for Hollywood!!!!

We had the best sister trip ever.

I can't wait to do something again soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good ole Home Sweet Home!

2011-10-25T20:20:00.003-04:00

I have to say that I am keenly aware of just where the expression, "Red-eye flight" comes from. I left LAX last night at 11:15pm and then went to Atlanta where I sat for 2 hours and then finally arrived at my airport at 9:15am this morning. By the time I got home it was 10:45am. Total travel time - 11 hours 30 minutes. Total time sleeping - approximately 90 minutes. I AM TIRED! I knew I would be tired but I am really really tired. I chose the red-eye flight so that I wouldn't lose a whole day of work. I figured it was better to lose sleep than precious work hours. Well I definitely lost the sleep but I also held up my end and as soon as I got home, I changed clothes and immediately got to work. First thing on the list? PUPPIES! I really missed them! I checked on all the big puppies and the new little puppies and everyone grew while I was gone. Mr. Yesteryear Acres had a yummy lunch waiting for me so as soon as we were done eating, we got busy taking new puppy pictures for the week.
We have brand new wee little ones:

Sweet Adorable Double Doodle Babies:

And my absolute favorite.....

Scrambled Egg loving doodle babies

I think they loved lunch most of all!!!!

It is good to be home!!!!!!

The Tonight Show

2011-10-24T23:16:00.000-04:00

Miracle of Miracle - I got two tickets to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for today's taping! ON my sister's birthday! I mean it doesn't get much better than that! We were both so excited we hardly slept last night! We woke up before the sun and got ready for our amazing day. First up - WARNER BROTHER'S STUDIO TOUR! That had to be the best time ever. SO many awesome movies were filmed there! So many awesome TV shows too. I saw the original costumes from Harry Potter, The Last Samurai, The Matrix, 300, The Departed and more. It was AWESOME! We saw movie sets, TV stars, props, costumes, set designs - the works! It was movie heaven! I have to say the very best part of the entire tour was going ON the Mentalist set! The actual bona fide for real authentic Mentalist set. I saw Simon Baker's couch, Lisbon's office, the coffee break room, the interrogation room. It was really cool! After we toured the WB studios, my sister and I walked to The NBC Studios. We then got in line for our chance to be in the Tonight Show audience. We got there 3 hours early and we were number 65 and 66. Just because they send you a confirmation that you won tickets doesn't mean you actually get to go IN. It just gives you the right to stand in line in the hopes of getting in. I won't leave you in suspense....we got in! We were in the very first row behind the floor seats. Not bad! The studio was FREEZING. I think it was cold enough to keep ice cream frozen! We got to see Jay and the guests and the band and everything. It was AWESOME! I am now sitting in LAX waiting for my redeye flight back home. I have 3 more hours to go before my flight leaves. I said my goodbyes to my sister and gave her one last birthday present.......The Letter K! She has waited a whole year for her next letter. Man - I am such a good sister! Happy Birthday! Safe travels home. AND Dear Mr. Yesteryear Acres.........I AM ON THE WAY!

SUN?day

2011-10-24T00:33:00.000-04:00

Well they say it never rains in Southern California........hmmmmm. I guess I am doubting the validity of that statement. I guess TECHNICALLY it wasn't raining, It was foggy, REALLY foggy. It was so foggy it was wet and cold and it felt like misty raindrops falling all over us. When I packed for my trip to Southern California, I thought, OH THE SUN! OH THE WARMTH! I packed all my sundresses and sandals and summerwear. Lo and behold, it is autumn here. It is cold here. Everyone is wearing jeans and boots and long sleeves. I am wearing a sundress and sandals. My toes were purple today and no I am not talking purple toenail polish! The funny thing is that if you look at the weather forecast it SAYS it is bright and sunny outside. BUT if you actually walk outside - it is foggy and misty and cold. Despite the cold damp day - we still had an awesome time. Foggy cold weather could never stop us from having a great time. The end of the conference went really well and the late afternoon, while cold, was still a lot of fun. Tonight my plan is to pack my suitcases (with all my summer dresses) and then crawl into bed with a ton of extra covers and blankets. I am going to store up as much heat as possible. Tomorrow is a packed day of fun adventures before I take the red-eye back home. Come on toes.....WARM UP! We have major walking to do tomorrow!

Conference Time

2011-10-22T18:19:00.001-04:00

My day started bright and early here in lovely Santa Monica. We are learning all about conformation and making sure your doggies and puppies are healthy and sound. We have had so many visual aids. Slideshows, diagrams, books, pictures and.......puppies too!!!!! We have the cutest little puppy demonstrators here. 8 week old Papillon puppies. Bernese Mountain Dog puppies. Awwwwww. I just know I love what I do when the second I am away from my own doggies, I can't wait to play with the puppies here. I am the one going, "awwwww look how cuddly and sweet." I am the one snuggling and petting and loving the puppies. I truly love puppies and doggies. The very best part of the conference so far are the sweet puppies that are visiting. It is nice to have some sweet furry babies to love!!!! I have learned a few things here and there today but mostly I have learned - I am doing things just the right way. That is a good feeling to have. I find myself nodding, saying to myself, I know that. I do that. That is how we do things. My favorite part of being here is spending time with the other doodle breeders. Lunch today was just the best. We laughed until we cried. It is so great to be with other doggie lovers that all have the same "awwwww" inside their hearts. People who love doggies are my kind of people. Speaking of loving doggies.....I wonder if we can bring the puppies to dinner!!?!!