Storm Update

Things are not looking good for us here at Yesteryear Acres.  There is significant storm damage everywhere. We have lost so many trees and we have limbs everywhere. Our entire town is without electricity along with over 1/2 million other people in our state suffering the same fate.  Roads are closed. Stores are closed.  There are very few places to get gasoline. We had Hurricane Ike blast through here in 2008 and that left us without power for 10 days.  This storm is much worse.  After Hurricane Ike, the weather was calm, no wind, 72* and bright sunny days.  This week, we have temperatures in the high 90's/low 100's and another destructive storm is supposed to hit us this afternoon.  The power company estimates we will be without power for at least a week. We are under a state of emergency for our entire state.  Right now Mr. Yesteryear Acres is trying to figure out how to power our water pump.  We have well water and no electricity means no water.  Right now - we are out of water except for what we stored yesterday. Hopefully Mr. "Generator" Yesteryear Acres will get the water pump up and running along with our freezers and refrigerator.  Things aren't looking to bright for us right now. It is going to be a long hard hot sticky tortured week.

100* - No Electric - No Fun!

We got hit really hard by storms today!  The storm came through here on a mission to pretty much carve a path of destruction that is spread out throughout our entire city.  My daughters and I were not home when the storms hit and it took us 3x as long to get home as we were met by fallen trees, downed power lines and closed roads. At one point we thought we would have to park the car and walk home.  It was that bad. It is clear that we are in for some heavy clean up around here. My guess is that we will be without electricity for some time.  Tomorrow's forecast calls for more of the same - oppressive heat followed by torrential storms.  Looks like we will all be camping out in the living room tonight as the upstairs is too hot for anyone - two-legged or four. Wish us luck.  We are in for some hot times here.

Melting

We are melting!  I think everyone is melting.  What is this heat??? 100* UGH!  You know it is HOT when you think - swim? NAH. It is TOO  hot to swim!!!  I know there are areas of the country that have it even worse than we do and I feel for you. I feel for you, the animals, the gardens, the ponds, the fishies, the trees, the flowers -everything! We have triple the workload here when it is this hot.  All the farm chores need to be done multiple times. As soon as we water the horses, the water turns to hot water soup and they need to be watered again. The water in the garden literally evaporates to steam the second we water the plants.  Let's hope this predicted heat wave doesn't last as long as they think it will.  Poor Mr. Yesteryear Acres is melting! I might have to siphon him up off the ground and bring him inside to let him cool off a bit.  Looks like it is definitely going to be a 2 gallon fresh squeezed lemonade day. One gallon won't fix this heat! Time for more ice!!!!

DANGEROUS Pad Thai?

So on the Dentist's list of dangerous foods to avoid - how far down the list do you think Pad Thai would be?  You know Pad Thai? Soft rice noodles that you don't really even need teeth to chew?  I am guessing it doesn't even make the list of foods to avoid.  Peanut Brittle - yes.  Caramel corn - yes.  Crunching on ice cubes - again - yes.  The other day I was eating Pad Thai which had a sprinkling of finely crushed peanuts on top when CRACK! I felt something weird in my tooth.  I thought a small piece of peanut got lodged in there.  I have been fooling with my tooth for days.  I can't stop.  My tongue keeps feeling the place where I believe the peanut is hiding.  Fiddle. Fiddle. Fiddle. I have cut my tongue on the sharp piece and STILL I can't stop fiddling with the tooth. My tongue is so sore but yet I still fiddle with that darn tooth. Today I finally went to the dentist.  Diagnosis - FRACTURED TOOTH.  FROM PAD THAI!  WHAT?!!!  Who fractures a tooth on soft rice noodles???? ME!  Ugh.  I have to go back early Saturday morning to get it repaired.  SIGH.  I guess Pad Thai is dangerous! Who knew!?

Adventure Walking

I have been coming up with clever little "adventures" on my daily morning walk with my daughter.  I hate to do the same old path every day so I like to come up with alternative routes.  I like to call them "Adventures" to make it sound so much more appealing.  My daughter has not been really enjoying my "adventures" as much as you would think she would.  One day I chose a path that was completely in the immediate path of the sun's ultra burning rays.  We were like ants under a magnifying glass. There was NO shade to be found.  Okay - so that adventure didn't pan out.  Another day I chose a path that ended up running out of sidewalk so that we had to walk on the burning pavement, on a busy road, with a dog, and no water.  Maybe that was a fail on my part as well.  Hey - we didn't cross the same path twice!  I mean I do have a goal in mind!  Yesterday our adventure led us to a dead deer carcass.  Hmmmmm. I am really on a roll aren't I?  So this morning, when I suggested we go on yet another adventure walk, my daughter didn't look that enthusiastic.  Where is her sense of adventure???  Today however - adventure was found! With Smiles!  We walked all the way to the redwood forest!!!!  Okay not THE Redwood Forest but we did walk to a redwood forest grove that was planted in 1993. It was really neat.  The shade was wonderful and it was a beautiful peaceful place. Along the way we saw butterflies, goldfinches, squirrels, bluebirds, cardinals AND an Indigo Bunting!  It was such a brilliant shade of blue we just stood an admired it for quite a while.  Today's adventure was perfect.  Tomorrow......well that remains to be seen!!!!

Marvelous Monday

Oh my! Someone turned on the air-conditioner outside this morning and it was HEAVENLY.  When we walked out the door to go take our daily walk, it felt marvelous. The sun was shining. The cool breeze was blowing. The day felt great!  We had 3 miles in before we knew it!!!  The puppies have loved today too.  Playing in the cool shade has been the best. Supposedly HOT HOT HOT 100*+ weather is coming our way, but for today....Ahhhhhh! PERFECT!  Here are some really cute pictures of the puppies enjoying the perfect weather.

Ahhhhh cool breezes!

They call me "Tonka" because I am the BIG boy of the litter!

I LOVE dinner time!!!!

Did someone want a calendar picture pose?

Chocolate snuggles!!!!

Time for a Conga Line!

I am looking for four leaf clovers!

Look for more pictures next week so you can watch us grow!

We have the desserts covered!

We finally got around to getting Mr. Yesteryear Acres Father's Day dessert extravaganza done. Yes, I know it is way past Father's Day - but just like our pause button on our DVR that we so fondly love, we used the pause button for Mr. Yesteryear Acres celebration dinner. Luckily Mr. Yesteryear Acres never complains about when we celebrate important events.  His birthday can be celebrated ON his birthday, days before, days after or even a month later.  He is equally happy if we celebrate it in a timely fashion or if we delay it.  He is happy for every day - "special" or not. He always says it isn't WHEN we celebrate that makes it special, it is THAT we celebrate. So this year, Father's Day came a little late but we made sure the wait was worth it.  We may have gone a little overboard in making the desserts.
Fresh picked Blackberries for a Lattice top blackberry pie.....CHECK!
Blackberry Pie was DELICIOUS!
Fresh picked sour cherries for a Cherry Crisp.....CHECK!
Cherry Crisp was DELICIOUS!!!!!
Homemade Ice Cream in three scrumptious flavors...check! Vanilla Bean, Black Walnut (Mr. Yesteryear Acres requested flavor) and our favorite - Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chunk.
Homemade Ice Cream was DELICIOUS!
Yes. We have the desserts covered. If only there were a pause button to make the desserts last a little longer.  With everyone home to celebrate - the desserts vanished right before our eyes! Mmmmmmmm. I think we need to start planning for Mr. Yesteryear Acres birthday!  We only have 2 weeks before the big day! I am thinking Banana Split Ice Cream, Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream, and maybe Vanilla Rocky Road Ice Cream with Pistachios. That seems like a good start to Mr. Yesteryear Acres birthday.  Maybe I should start now!

Nothing Day

For weeks now we have been trying to schedule a nothing day. We want to have one day before our older daughter leaves for Quantico where we have absolutely nothing to do.  Well nothing isn't exactly using correct terminology.  To do NOTHING here at Yesteryear Acres is simply not possible.  We have puppies to feed and water, dogs to let out, farm chores to do, horses to feed, gardens to water, puppy laundry, human laundry, dishes, doggie bowls and puppy bowls to wash but other than THAT - we want to have a nothing day. Sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to actually have a NOTHING day but then something needs to be done so I stop dreaming.  The other day we attempted to have a nothing day but by noon we had
Walked (or jogged) 3 1/3 miles or more
Washed four loads of clothes
Emptied and Loaded the dishwasher
Fed and watered the puppies
Cleaned the play yard outside
Changed all the puppy bedding
Vacuumed the porch
Cleaned the laundry room (thanks to my coffee spill)
and watered the garden
It was clear that the Nothing Day was not going to happen.  We ended up working the rest of the day.  We have actually written down on our calendar, "Nothing Day" to see if we can somehow make this miracle come true.  We want to stay in our pajamas.  We want to watch movies and eat popcorn.  We want to sit and be lazy and do nothing ALL DAY LONG.  Wish us luck.  We are coming upon the 4th week where we have tried to make Nothingness work. I don't want to bet against it ....but my money will be with SOMETHING DAY replacing the Nothingness we have been hoping for.  Time to water the puppies!

Where did I put my coffee???

Oh how I love morning coffee. I love love love love it.  I look forward to my coffee each and every morning.  This morning, I had one delightful sip and then....MY COFFEE WAS MISSING!  I looked everywhere for it.  Upstairs  - nope.  By my computer - nope.  In the living room - nope.  In the dining room - nope. In the kids room - nope. WHERE IS MY COFFEE?  Mr. Yesteryear Acres suggested I look in the microwave as I usually microwave my coffee about 1,000 times during the day. I hate cold coffee.  I opened the microwave, ready to be greeted by my cup of java....NOPE!  Oh my gosh!  MY COFFEE WAS REALLY GONE.  The puppies didn't have it.  The parlor didn't have it.  Even the bathrooms didn't have my cup of coffee.  Sadly, this afternoon, late in the day, I found my coffee. Or rather what was left of my coffee. It seems I put my coffee on top of the washing machine when I changed loads this morning. It seems my washing machine decided to have some sort of violent convulsions during the spin cycle and hurled my cup of coffee onto the dryer where it promptly made a coffee spin art display EVERYWHERE.  I had coffee in every nook and cranny.  Dryer sheets - coffee filled.  Lint trash - coffee filled.  Blankets all nice and folded by dryer- coffee filled. Wall - coffee splashed.  Yes. I made a coffee art display that few people would ever enjoy or appreciate.  Alas - no coffee for me today - but MAN you should see my dryer room! It is sparkly clean now! I never knew my dryer could be so bright white.  Thank you spilled coffee for giving me the opportunity to spend hours scrubbing my washer and dryer.  They are so clean and sparkly and they both sincerely appreciate your sacrifice.

Puppy pictures of cuteness!

I almost forgot to post this week's cute puppy picture updates!  With our endless attempt to celebrate Father's Day with Mr. Yesteryear Acres, puppy picture cuteness got lost in the shuffle.  Here are this week's cute puppy smiles!

Fergie's Chocolate Doodles are getting cuter by the minute.

Dark Peanut Butter Chocolate Cup

Light Peanut Butter Chocolate Cup

Juneau's babies are really getting big now!

They have the softest coats

TWINS!  I love these 2 caramel boys!

See you next week with more puppy pictures of cuteness!

Happy First Day of Summer

Summer is officially here! I have to say that it has been blatantly obvious that we are officially in summer as the temperatures here have been miserably hot.  It has been kind of miserable outside.  I know it is supposed to be HOT in summer but anything above 90* just feels wrong and has been over 90* every day this week.  My daughters and my son and I have been leaving the house early in the morning to get our exercise in.  Each day we leave a little earlier than the day before in order to beat the heat and each day it is obvious that we have failed in our attempts to stay cool.  We have been hitting the park first thing in the morning to get our miles in. My son and older daughter get the Beast award for putting forth the most effort during our workouts.  My son has been running 6 miles and my daughter alternates between running with him or walking with me while she carries a 70lb pack.  It makes it nearly impossible for me to complain about the weight of my little water bottle or how hot I am.  Gee!  My younger daughter and I just walk along silently begrudging the heat while my older daughter trots along.   We all get awards for dedication though.  We are determined to stay fit this summer! Tomorrow we are hoping to have a little summer fun. I am thinking fresh squeezed lemonade and some swim time at the pond! Happy First Day of Summer!  

Father's Day Part II?

TODAY we are going to do it! We are going to celebrate Father's Day! Cookout! Campfire! Fishing!.............Do I hear Chinese Take-out?  Okay, so the plan was the BIG celebration.  The plan was to make this a special Father's Day fun day.  Instead.....we completed the very last task in transforming our older daughter's room from childhood - to spare room/adult room. Sniff sniff.  What kind of Father's Day celebration is this?  It is like the ANTI-Father's day.  The day where you watch the end of your sweet daughter's childhood.  We hadn't really planned on transforming her room but after we had spent so long cleaning it up, it was obvious the room still belonged to a little girl.  Maybe the huge mammoth size Loft/Fort bed was the big sign that we were still clinging to her childhood.  Today Mr. Yesteryear Acres disassembled the big fort.  He took apart the giant loft bed and piece by piece we hauled it up to the attic. It is now safely stored for the next generation (YEARS AND YEARS from now) to enjoy.  We then moved our old double bed into our daughter's room.  We got a new mattress and comforter and her room is now officially perfect for her.  She wasn't exactly excited at first. I mean watching your fort/loft bed being torn down is kind of sad. But once we moved the big bed in there, happiness was everywhere.  It looks great. Tonight will be the best sleep ever and TOMORROW will definitely be.....
Father's Day Part III! Fishing!  Cookout! Campfire!  We WILL do it!

A Great Big Hug

Imagine how much fun I am having RIGHT now.......After standing in a line that wraps around the hospital building, I am finally sitting in a chair where I get to wait some more!!!! Ooh! Who doesn't love waiting for hours?  Today is... Sports Physical Day! All boys from middle school and high school in the entire county get to have their medical physical today.  EVERYONE is here. Despite the very long day of boredom, tedium, and endless waiting - they do a great and very thorough job. My son will get a brain scan, EKG, and complete physical. They check for everything and the cost......$10. That's right - $10. With rising medical costs, I don't think a better deal could be found anywhere! So, here I sit, and wait, and answer emails, and write my blog, and marvel at the EXTREME range of sizes that middle school and high school boys come in. I have seen pint size boys and mammoth size boys. Boys that look like they are still waiting for their baby teeth to fall out and boys that look like they should be out of college. Tall boys, skinny boys, big huge muscular boys and very slender built boys. They all have one thing in common though.....They all seem to be here, obviously unwillingly dragged by their mommies, with that distinctive, oh so pleasant, "I am SO annoyed" look upon their faces. Awwwww. Such cuties! Makes me want to give them all a great big hug!

Happy Father's Day......Part 1

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers out there that shower their children with love, support, encouragement and are always there for them. Mr. Yesteryear Acres is just that kind of dad.  He is a faithful, devoted, loving, father that has instilled honor, loyalty, love of family, love of country and determined commitment into each of our children.  He is a great dad.  Today is a day to celebrate just how great he is.
Father's Day Agenda - HAVE FUN ALL DAY!  Fishing! Cookout!  Campfire! Steaks by the pond! Homemade Ice Cream!

Father's Day Reality - Honey, can you.........
Fix the Air conditioner
Fix the Ice Cream Maker
Solder the handle on the mixer
Fix the UPS for the Computer and install new UPS Battery
Change all the bedding for the puppies
Measure and prepare to remove gigantic Loft bed from older daughter's room
Make room in attic for giant Loft Bed
Get trailer ready to go get new mattress for regular bed
Clean out air conditioner filters
and then
Acknowledge my EVER SO THOUGHTFUL gift of............
watering the ENTIRE GARDEN FOR YOU!
Yes. The girls and I watered the entire 5 acre garden today! EVERY Square Inch!
Happy Father's Day!
(Okay....we "watered" the garden........when it was raining...... and took credit for it) BUT it DID get watered!  Dear Mr. Yesteryear Acres - don't worry!  Today was  Happy Father's Day - PART 1!!!!  Happy Father's Day Part II will come SOON!  And we will go Fishing!  And we will have a cookout!  And we will have a campfire! And you will get your yummy homemade Ice Cream AND Steak dinner!!!!!  We love you!

Surprise Day!

This summer Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I will be celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary.  Without a doubt - the very best 25 years of my entire life. 25 years later - and I still love Mr. Yesteryear Acres to the depths of my soul.  He is everything to me. Mr. Yesteryear Acres surprised me yesterday on our way home from our puppy mobile delivery trip. He said that he knows we have too much work to do this summer and we can't possibly get away to go someplace fantastical .....BUT he arranged a little overnight trip so we could have a quiet moment to enjoy our happiness.  The kids all stayed home and cared for the doggies and puppies and Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I had a whole evening to ourselves.  It was great.
He picked out a most beautiful place for us

We took a boat tour of the lake

We hiked a mountain path

We were treated to sweeping vistas

Photo proof....we made it to the top!

Mr. Yesteryear Acres arranged for us to do an off road Segway tour.  We went on a trail that used to connect 2 forts WAY back in the day. It is National Park land now.  It was a blast.  Who knew Segways could climb rocky trails and go through the woods?  SO FUN!

And we capped the evening off with a candlelit dinner by the lake.

Thank you Mr. Yesteryear Acres!!! 

Uniterrupted Time Together

Today's agenda...... drive 11 hours to deliver puppies.  I was going to make the trip by myself but at the last minute, Mr. Yesteryear Acres said he would do the puppy mobile trip with me.   We left at the crack of dawn this morning and were blessed with beautiful blue skies and lovely weather.  The puppies were all good travelers and we only had 3 stops for puppy poop clean up along the way. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I didn't even have the radio on as we chatted nonstop all the way to our destination. It was so nice to spend the day together.  I kind of looked at today as a chore - but it ended up being a treat.  All the puppy families were on time and were eagerly awaiting our arrival. The puppies were all excited to meet their new families, the puppy families were all excited to meet their new puppies and of course puppy happiness filled the air.  It was a lot of fun meeting everyone and it was nice to have Mr. Yesteryear Acres as my most awesome travel companion.  Uninterrupted Mr. Yesteryear Acres time is the best. We got caught up on all we want to do, all we hope to do and all we have done.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres says there is a surprise to this day......... how can the day get better?!  Guess I will find out soon!

Mid- June...Flag Day Already!

How can it be mid-June already? Time is really flying!  Here it is Flag Day and half of June has already passed us by.  I need to get out my calendar and schedule in some fun activities.  We have been so busy working we haven't done anything on our Fun To-Do List.  We have a couple of movies we want to watch. We have a dock waiting for us. We have fish in the pond calling Mr. Yesteryear Acres name. We have sunshine days and ice cream making and swimming in the pond all waiting for us. My daughter leaves for the Marine Corps at the end of the month. Ack!!! So much to do!  So much fun left to have! For today......
United States of America Flag - CHECK! United States Naval Academy Flag - CHECK! United States Marine Corps Flag - CHECK! Flag Day - CHECK CHECK!!! Movie night with Popcorn????  I think I must say CHECK! Let the fun begin!

Big Boy Bed

Way back when - my son was just a tiny thing.  I remember when the day finally came and he graduated from his crib to a big boy bed.  That was such a big moment.  No more crib.  A real bed.  Just his size. I remember it as if it were yesterday.  We had a little comforter with cartoon dump trucks and tractors on it.  His sheets had John Deere Tractors on them. He had his whole room decorated with tractors and trucks. We took a million pictures of him smiling as he laid in his real bed. It is one of those big moments of childhood you just never forget. I really didn't think we would replay that moment....but in a way.....we did just that. My little tiny boy just got his 16th birthday present a little early this year. What did he get?  A Big Boy Bed! Yes, my little tiny boy is now 6'4".  A few weeks ago I saw my tiny boy all scrunched up in his twin bed.  His feet were hanging off the end and his arms didn't fit in his bed either. He has really long arms and really long legs. I just hadn't realized how cramped his bed was.  He didn't fit in it at all.  I asked him how he could sleep like that.  His answer, "Not very well".  So Mr.Yesteryear Acres and I decided to get him a big bed for his birthday.  I suppose most 16 year old boys really dream of a truck for their birthday - but I am fairly certain that my boy - just wanted to sleep well enough so he COULD dream. A new bed is just what he needed! Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I picked a bed out for him about 3 weeks ago.  We had to find a bed frame that didn't have a high foot board at the end.  I mean - he IS a growing boy and needs room to grow! We finally found one we liked and ordered the bed and new mattress set. This morning, the moving truck arrived! Everyone here was so excited.  I don't know who was more excited, my son - who couldn't wait to climb into his new bed, my daughters who couldn't wait to finish assembling the bed so they could show their brother, or Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I, who couldn't wait to give our son his birthday present. The bed looks FANTASTIC and we are all so happy about it.  Tonight - my boy will sleep in a bed...just his size.  Awwwww.  Just like when he was little! Happy Early Birthday!!!!

This Week's Cuteness

Once again it is that time of the week.....Puppy Cuteness Time!  Here are this week's puppy picture updates.......

Juneau and Barkley's babies are getting bigger.  

Here are Juneau's two girls.

And 2 of her Caramel Boys

Fergie's Chocolate Doodle Puppies are Scrumptious 

Mmmmm Oreo Cookies and Cream!  

Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

Peanut Butter Cup and Dark Chocolate!

Chocolate Doodles of Love!

Errand Day Success

I have had the longest list of errands to run for weeks now.  Every time I think I am going to get all my errands done, something comes up.  Today - there was no stopping me. I left the house early and started checking them off one by one. YES! Even though the bridge is now officially closed, and going into town is a road trip complete with rest stops (slight exaggeration there) - I still went out.  I might have said two or three (or 10-20) times that I was irritated by the closed bridge but nevertheless, I still went out. We now have one road that EVERYONE and their brother will be using for the next 70 days to get into town and one main road in town that is completely torn up by construction work. Gee!  Good planning!!!  Despite the road congestion, my errand trip was a success.  I even got my daughter's passport renewed. Tomorrow I just have 2  big errands left and I will be done.  Well that is until my list compiles again and I find myself back on errand duty.  For now - mission accomplished!

Late...But DONE!

Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son have been working non-stop getting our garden in.  They have been coming in at night around 11:30pm, dirty, tired, and barely recognizable.  They win the award for garden dedication!  We have a large garden (about 5 acres) and it takes a while to get all the vegetables in.  This is the latest we have ever finished getting everything planted.  With an entire week of our planting season spent in Annapolis, we were even more behind than we had hoped.  Thankfully Mr. Yesteryear Acres had already started all the plants so hopefully now that they are all safely tucked in the soil, we will be able to catch up. Total Tomato count.....170 plants! Mmmmmmm I love tomatoes!!!  We have Early Girl, Better Boy, Golden Jubilee, Sweet 1000's.  Tomato HEAVEN!  I have serious Tomato canning to do this fall!  I need at least 150 quarts to get us through the winter.  Along with my tomato heaven, we have Blue Lake Green Beans, Early Wonder Beets and Detroit Deep Red Beets plus Leeks, Peppers, Lettuce, Spinach, Carrots, Onions, Radishes, Peas, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Zucchini, Cabbage, pumpkins, popcorn AND rows upon rows of Sweet Corn. Mmmmmm!  Now the waiting begins.  Best day of the entire summer??????  FIRST RED TOMATO!  Let the growing season begin!!!!

Puppy Smile Day

Lady's sweet Double Doodle babies have started to go to their new homes.  We had a busy day with puppy families coming to finally meet their new furry family members.  It is always a fun day here as the entire day is full of smiles.  The puppies are all smiling because they finally get to go home with their new family members.  The puppy family members are all smiling because they finally get to take their new furry best friend home. Everyone at Yesteryear Acres is always smiling because you can't help but smile when you are surrounded by happy puppies and happy families.  It is a Puppy Smile kind of day.  Today I had an extra smile on my face.  I received a card from one of the people bringing home a puppy. Inside the card was a note, "To one Marine Mom from another" -  I thought....I AM a Marine mom! That is the first time I really thought, I am the mom of a marine officer. It was so thoughtful of her and it was so nice to talk to another mom of a Marine. It really made my day. In the card was a keychain. It says, "Marine Mom....Toughest Job in the Corps." I think she might just be right!  Of course I put it on my keyring right away.  Now I will smile every time I use my keys! Happy Puppy Day!  Puppy Smiles all around!!!! 

Bath and THEN Shower

This morning as I was making my list of all the errands I needed to run today, I remembered....today is Bath day!  How could I almost forget? Lady's puppies are going home this weekend and they need their Spa Day before they leave.  Errand day will have to wait until Monday. Today is Beauty Day!  I don't want to call anyone out but a certain big bear of a puppy REALLY needed a bath so he was first.  Oh my gosh! He thought bath time as the BEST activity ever.  As soon as he was clean, he pranced and bounced along as it to say, "I SMELL MARVELOUS!"  The other puppies also were so good at getting their baths and now their ears are clean, their  um....um..."under the tail area" is all nice and trimmed and their nails are clipped and all the puppies smell wonderful.  They are all ready to meet their new families. I was thinking how glad I was to get all the puppies all nice and clean and shiny when one of my dear sweet children remarked that perhaps since I bathed all the puppies that I might want one too.  I looked in the mirror.  Yes. It was obvious that I looked like a wet dog and a shower for me was quite necessary.  So Bath....THEN shower. Got it.  Well now we ALL will be clean!

Done!

OH MY GOSH!  Happiness!  Lots and Lots of HAPPINESS!  My older daughter's room is officially DONE. As in finished. As in perfectly organized and clean!  We have things ready for when she leaves for Quantico.  We have her precious belongings boxed up and stored for her memorabilia.  We have ALL her clothes washed and folded.  All the clean clothes that she outgrew have been donated and are now hopefully making lots of other people happy. This was a HUGE project and I am so happy it is done.  Tomorrow - I am not going to do a single load of laundry!  Tomorrow - I am not going to lift a single box!  Tomorrow - I am not making a trip to the attic!  Tomorrow .....I ......will........run errands all day. WHAT?!?  Where is the fun?  My younger daughter needs a new passport, I have to go grocery shopping, I have to run to the mill, I have to take my son to Driver's Ed class, I have to pick up prescriptions, I have to go to the bank, I have to.. etc. BUT I do not have to clean my daughter's room! SCORE!

Puppy Picture Fix!

This afternoon I was soooo frustrated because I took the cutest pictures of our puppies but uploading the pictures to my website was a nightmare.  My program kept crashing after every 3rd or 4th picture upload. ARGH! It took me over 4 1/2 hours to get my website updated. Needless to say - I am behind on everything else BUT the pictures are up and they are SOOOO adorable.  Just look at all this cuteness....

psssst....I have a secret

We love to snuggle!

That warm sun feels so good!

Chocolate Doodle Babies!!!!!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate....Best Pairing Ever!

Who wants a kiss?!

Puppy Hugs are the Best!

Almost There

I can see the light at the end of the laundry tunnel!!!!  I have been washing clothes nonstop ALL DAY LONG.  Load after load after load.  Oh my gosh. SO MUCH LAUNDRY.  I think by this time tomorrow we will be officially done packing, donating to charity, organizing, folding and will have everything in its place.  My back is killing me and I cannot wait for this project to be over.  I am officially taking a 2 week break from any more projects after this one is done!  Puppies and Family time will be the only agenda of the day! Tomorrow I will start by taking all new puppy pictures.  It has almost been one week since the last update but they are so darn cute I cannot wait for a full week. I have to share the cuteness! Until then......gee.....I think I will go fold some more clothes! So much fun!

Is This Clean? Nope. Is This Clean? Nope.

My son and older daughter had a good time at the Warrior Dash yesterday. They came in second place for best costume and finished the race with ease. Evidently, the Warrior Dash was too easy.  Last year, my daughter competed in the Tough Mudder, which is a 12 mile obstacle race and that was more to her liking.  Now my son wants to find a Tough Mudder so they both can compete in one together. Hopefully someday they will be able to do just that.  Someday.  But NOT today. Today, we are tackling the living room full of my older daughter's belongings from 4 years at the Naval Academy. We started early this morning and I think we have only hit the halfway mark. How can she have so much stuff??!!??  So far the day has gone something like this:
Me - "Is this clean?"

Daughter - "Nope"

Me - "Is this clean?"

Daughter - "Nope"

Me - "IS THIS ACKKKKK ARGHHHHHHH GASP CHOKE!!!"

Daughter - "Hahahahahahaha NO!"

My poor washer.  I literally have laundry stacked to the ceiling.  Some of it is stuffed in trash bags and I will need a gas mask in order to remove the belongings. If suddenly the water table drops for the State of Ohio - please blame my daughter. To all my midmom friends......If your midshipman brought home boxes of belongings and stacked them in your living room, and you suddenly wonder...."what's that smell?"...please run as fast as you can to the nearest warehouse store and purchase a skid load of detergent.  Trust me.  You will need it.

Warrior Dash......Warrior Dock

This morning my older daughter and son headed off to go run a Warrior Dash. It is a 5K event through mud and fire and barbed wired.  You know....SO MUCH FUN. They asked my younger daughter if she wanted to join them. She gave them an emphatic NO.  My older daughter was completely incredulous.  She said, "Isn't there ANY part of you that wants to run across cars and swim through mud pits and fire?!??!!?" My younger daughter again said, "No.  No part at all... ZERO."  And so my 2 little warriors left this morning in full costume to go compete in the Warrior Dash.

Watch out Warriors

Yes.  She is a Chemistry Major.  Yes. They are IRONMAN.

They are ready for battle. 

And they are off!

Meanwhile..........

Mr. Yesteryear Acres thought that my younger daughter and I deserved a break.  We have been working non-stop for weeks.  I told him that we couldn't take a break.  We were too busy.  We have too much stuff to do.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres said, "sometimes you just have to enjoy life."  So he went out and got our dock all ready for the summer.  The ladder went in.  The chairs went out. The umbrella went up AND the chair cushions were all set up for us.  How could we say no?

I am waiting for you!

Warrior Dock. MUCH better choice!

Mr. Yesteryear Acres thought of everything!  He brought us this well stocked cooler full of delights!

Our view

Yes. Warrior Dock wins!!!!!!  

4 years down....4 years to go

My younger daughter and I spent ALL DAY LONG in my older daughter's room helping her to go through all her belongings. To say this task is overdue - is an understatement.  We have needed to do this for years, but she is home so seldom that we never wanted to take the time away from being together and having fun to actually get the room done.  Originally my daughter was scheduled to go to Quantico immediately following graduation from the Naval Academy. Her report date was pushed back a month which was just the motivation we needed to get her room cleaned up and in a somewhat empty state. Today we finished boxing up all her high school mementos.  Her ribbons, plaques, awards, and letters were all neatly boxed up and placed in the attic. We cleaned out her drawers and closets and basically emptied her entire room. It was a somewhat emotional and very draining day. We all know what lies in wait at the end of the month.  She will spend 6 months at Quantico and then she will be off to parts unknown.  The reality is - my older daughter doesn't live here any more. It is really sad but it is a truth we can no longer deny. My living room is filled to the brim with all her belongings from the Naval Academy.  It has to go somewhere.  So today her high school room was emptied and on Monday we start putting all her college stuff away. Sigh.  Once it is all done, it will be worth it, but the actual process is not so fun.  For today - job well done. It is quitting time!

The Excavators are Rolling!

I might have mentioned that our gigantic SUV was PACKED as full as full can be coming home from the Naval Academy.  It was literally crammed with stuff.  It took a long time to unload......into.....my LIVING ROOM! ACK!  MORE STUFF!  Honestly.  I don't know HOW one daughter can have SO much stuff.  I mean the Naval Academy IS a military college.  It isn't like they have tons of things to wear!  So WHY is everything in my living room???? Oh well that is because my daughter's room is FULL of stuff from HIGH SCHOOL. It is a mess in there and there is NO place to put an entire moving van worth of belongings in her tiny room.  She has the smallest room in the entire house and the MOST stuff!  Today - the excavation began.  My younger daughter and I squeezed into the doorway of my older daughter's room and we are beginning to box things up.  We have to clean up all her things to make room...for all her things!  We will be there ALL WEEK LONG. My mission is to get her room DONE. My daughter's mission is to look at every single piece of paper. My daughter's mission is to look at every single flashcard she ever made in her entire life. My daughter's mission is to look at every single piece of clothing.  Even the clothes that are WAY too small.  Even the clothes that make Mr. Yesteryear Acres say, "What time period are you traveling to where you think that will still fit you???" My daughter is like, "awwwww look at this T-shirt I wore when I was in 7th grade."  I am like, "Let's save things that have sentimental value and move on."  I believe I have been accused of throwing away her childhood 17,000 times today.  If I throw away a tag from a shirt from when she was in 7th grade ....I really don't think that qualifies as throwing her childhood away.  You can imagine all the joy in that room. We are beginning to make progress but it will be a LONG SLOW week. By the way....Dear sister of mine..........your adorably sweet niece found the check today that you wrote as a present.....for her birthday....back in.....2009!  Yes.  We have our work cut out for us. The Excavators are Rolling!