Oh Popcorn...How I love thee!

Today I have a long drive ahead of me but I am packed and ready for the long drive home. I have my favorite music ready. I have my favorite coffee ready. I have my favorite water, snack, outfit and it looks like I even have my favorite weather ready. As long as it isn't raining or snowing - that is my favorite driving weather!  I have driven through blizzards and hurricane rains and neither one is something I care to ever do again! Today looks like clear skies and smooth sailing....er I mean driving. To make a long drive REALLY great - you need a travel buddy.  That way the hours just melt away with fun times and laughter. I haven't had a travel buddy in quite some time but I do have my quintessential travel necessity ready for the trip.....POPCORN!  I simply cannot do a long drive alone without my big container of popcorn! First - we have the BEST popcorn in our garden. Mr. Yesteryear Acres grows hull-less lady finger rainbow popcorn. It is simply the best popcorn EVER. The pieces are really tiny which is the key to why it is so yummy!  You can use a lot less butter and seasonings when preparing your popcorn because each handful has so many pieces of popcorn, you are bound to get 1-2 really good ones! My sister and I have come up with what we believe is  "World's Famous Popcorn Seasoning".  My sister calls her popcorn, "World Famous" all the time.  We have just a slight difference between our 2 methods as she uses an oil popper and I use a hot air popper - but the seasonings are pretty much the same. It is a secret blend of 5 delicious seasonings to guarantee - you will eat the entire bowl and beg for more.  So as I travel along the highways, I eat just 1-3 pieces of popcorn at a time. I dole them out in a slow and methodical manner enjoying every little morsel. If I take my time - I can make my popcorn last for hours!  This guarantees two things:

1. I will not be hungry and even more importantly......

2. I will not fall asleep!

Alright Popcorn!  Let's hit the road!

Autumn's Beauty

Oh how I love Autumn! It is my favorite season. I love putting on my soft robe in the morning. I love the crispness to the morning air. I love apples and apple cider and pumpkins but most of all, I love the beauty of the kaleidoscope of fall's colors.  The trees are just starting to turn colors and everything is so beautiful.  As I was driving yesterday, I just smiled at the mountains and hillsides full of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. The landscape before me was a glorious quilt of Nature's Beauty. I never get tired of that sight. We have a really nice big hill in the back of our property that comes alive with colors every fall.  The other night, Mr. Yesteryear Acres called me to come outside and enjoy the view. The sun was setting and the rays were just touching the hill and the trees all looked aglow with color.  We stood there and took in the beautiful sight. Being grateful and appreciating Nature's Wonders is something to always make time for. It just might be your favorite moment of peacefulness in an otherwise hectic and busy day. 

Scale of Happiness

When I got on the scale this morning I was treated to SUCH a HAPPY sight!!!  I am actually officially UNDER the weight posted on my Driver's License! WHAT?!  Yes!!!!!! My driver's license is over 4 years old and I had it renewed shortly after having my heart attack.  To make having a heart attack even MORE fun - I got pneumonia in the hospital as I was recovering from the heart attack and was really very sick.  I lost almost 20lbs during that month.  When I was finally well enough to renew my driver's license, I put my new (although  understated) weight on my license.  Well of course as soon as I got better - the weight just came right back and then some!  I mean I LOVE ICE CREAM!!!!!!  I REALLY LOVE IT!  Evidently if you treat yourself to a pint of ice cream every single night - you gain weight! So tragic!  This August, I made a new resolution to start working out regularly and to eat more whole grains.  It was time for a change as my stomach kind of looked like I was at the end of my second trimester.  I actually started thinking I was going to have to name my belly! I had to come up with a new plan! When I say I love white food - believe me - I am a white food addict.  I love white squishy bread.  I love white pasta.  I love white rice. I think Miracle Whip on white squishy bread is DOUBLE DELICIOUS!  So when I heard I should quit eating so much white food - I almost went into shock!  No white bread??!!!!  I MIGHT DIE!  Well - I can tell you - I didn't die.  In fact, I got healthier.  And I feel better. I have not turned into a total crazy health food nut - but now I read the labels before I eat something.  I make sure the things that I eat are things I can pronounce!  Familiar ingredients that are real. And I started adding whole grains to our diet at Yesteryear Acres. Instead of baking my usual loaf of Good ole White Bread, I now bake a loaf of Honey Oatmeal Bread with Flax Seeds.  I even add wheat to the bread! And you know what? It is really good! It still has all that hot fresh steaming right from the oven goodness but SO much better for you!  Instead of cooking plain white rice - I put in equal parts of brown rice and white rice together in the pot.....and no one can tell! Mr. Yesteryear Acres is losing weight. I am losing weight.  And neither of us are hungry. I have come up with lots of new recipes in the past 2 months. If anybody is interested - I am happy to share!  I even have perfected a lowfat homemade ice cream that is DELICIOUS!!!!  250 calories for ONE cup and man - I tell you - you will never miss all the heavy whipping cream. It is that good! So try adding whole grain goodness to your diet..... your scale will finally make you smile!

And the Apple WINS!

Last night the last of the tomatoes came out around 11pm. I washed all the trays and was totally ready for bed when Mr. Yesteryear Acres said, "We should start the apples!"  Oh my. I wanted to say no.  I wanted to say, "I AM TOO TIRED!"  I wanted to remind Mr. Yesteryear Acres that I was in the kitchen ALL DAY LONG. Mr. Yesteryear Acres said that if we started the trays then we would have apples ready for our older daughter.  OH SURE.  Of COURSE I started the apples then.  We started slicing and slicing and slicing.  We almost had half of a bushel sliced when I decided I would slice something else. Oh yes.  The score - ME:Zero......APPLE: THE WINNER! I sliced right through my thumb. SEE? I WAS TOO TIRED! No worries though - a few butterfly strips and some sticky gauze wrap and I was back in business.

We finished all the trays at 12:47am and today.....We have dried apple slices!  I am ready for round two and THIS time - the apple will not win!

Kitchen Day!

Mmmmmm. The kitchen smells SO good! I have spent pretty much the entire day in the kitchen cooking and baking away.  I am ALMOST done with my sun-dried tomatoes!  YAY!  I will be so glad when the last trays come out later tonight.  I have been slicing and slicing and slicing tomatoes round the clock! It looks like we will have our biggest yield EVER. Mr. Yesteryear Acres has been busy vacuum-packing all the tomatoes into dinner size portions and we have almost an entire paper grocery sack full! OH MY TOMATO HAPPINESS!  As soon as that last tray comes out......I get to start dehydrating apples! Everyone LOVES dried apples for snacking and I usually have to make a ton.  Someone around here.....Mr. Yesteryear Acres.....eats them as soon as they are done. It takes a long time before I see any real progress.  My guess is that I will be busy with that project for at least a week or more.  My family can eat a lot of apples!!!!  Along with my sun-dried tomato project, I made a batch of homemade honey oatmeal flax rolls, one batch of molasses oatmeal cookies, one batch of chocolate chip cookies, 4 loaves of meatloaf, 8 roasted eggplant, 4lbs of marinated grilled chicken strips and a double batch of grapenut carb bars.  WHEW!  That is one busy chef!!!! I think I just may be tired.......yes. Yes. I am definitely tired.  Now I get to go clean up my kitchen cooking marathon mess and then I can start putting together my puppy take home care packages. I am thinking I need a cookie to help me finish my list for the day!  Yes - a cookie is called for....or maybe two!

GOODIES!

Today I placed a HUGE order for.........PUPPY THINGS!  After my big trip to the Super Zoo, I started to think about all the things that our sweet Yesteryear Acres Doodles and Puppies love the most. I always get asked which toy should I get or which brush is best and of course we have our favorites. We have been raising puppies for 18 years and I can pretty much look at something and know whether my doodle doggie or puppy will like it. I have a brush that I just can't live without.  I have several puppy toys that I buy over and over again because without fail -they are always the Yesteryear Acres Doodles favorite things. Well today I got busy and made a list of all of our doodle doggies' favorites and then I ordered them.  I ordered lots of them. Now when our sweet Yesteryear Acres Doodle puppies go to their new homes - they will go home with a "Yesteryear Acres Favorite Thing" Puppy pack.  I know your puppy will just love all the goodies!!!!

Why Hello Autumn!

As per usual - today is PUPPY PICTURE day. Every Monday brings cute puppy photos and lots of puppy smiles. This Monday we have extra puppy pictures!  Our Sweet Belle delivered 8 beautiful Red Apricot Labradoodle puppies.

They are all perfect in size and color and soooo cute!

One even has a white star on her chest

so

then

Our Chocolate Lab Autumn said - HEY! Isn't it Autumn?  Shouldn't we celebrate Autumn with AUTUMN Puppies???!!!  And even though Autumn didn't look pregnant - as soon as Belle was done delivering her babies, Autumn started whining and scratching up the carpets in the house and then

look

what 

the

stork

brought

Autumn had 5 beautiful babies of her own!

We have 4 chocolate girls and 1 caramel boy

And they are adorable too!!!!!

Nutmeg's puppies are ready for their new homes

I AM READY TO MEET YOU!

Mr. Orange Collar can walk perfectly by your side, even without a leash

Hey! WE CAN TOO!

Can't wait to meet my family on Friday!

We are ready for the Puppy Mobile Trip!

Pictures of course!!!

You didn't think I could go and take a million pictures of my son's homecoming without sharing did you?  I am sure my son is just grinning from ear to ear over the fact his mommy is going to embarrass him by posting his homecoming pictures on the Yesteryear Acres blogpost.  I mean what son doesn't dream of the day when  his mommy will go and post pictures of him on a blogpost without even checking with him first.  Oh dear son of mine -your dream has finally come true!  Here are some of my favorite pictures from last night:

First we had to do all the traditional pictures

Everyone needs the formal pond picture!

And the bridge over the pond picture

You would never guess it was 52* with 60mph winds!  It was so cold!

We were so lucky when the sun came out just long enough to shoot a couple of pictures.

You can only have so many "Stand there and Smile" photos so we had to do something a little fun!

Corsage time!

AND

FOR

MY

FAVORITE 

PHOTO

OF

ALL

............

The first batch of our sun-dried tomatoes!!!!!! Mmmmmmm!

Oh yes....and homecoming too!

Happy First Day of Fall!  The beautiful Autumn season is here!!!  Today DEFINITELY felt like fall.  The wind was a little biting and I actually had to go dig out a jacket. It was cold! We had a lot of fun puppy families here to visit today so I spent a good portion of the day outdoors playing with all the puppies.  The puppies LOVED all the attention and now they are all sacked out.  They are SOUND asleep in one big snuggle pile.  They had a good workout!  Around 2:00-3:00 today, I had a thought.....OH MY GOSH!  IT IS HOMECOMING!  I almost forgot that my son was going to the homecoming dance!  He was still at his cross-country meet and I was supposed to get his outfit for the evening ironed and pick up the corsage from the florist. ACK! Luckily I remembered in time to get everything done.  He looked ever so handsome this evening and his date was beautiful.  Of course I took a million pictures! I mean here was my son, all dressed up, looking sharp in his tie and dress shirt and his date was so lovely in her beautiful gold dress and my son couldn't possibly deny my picture taking obsession in front of his beautiful date! HA!  I took a ridiculous amount of pictures because who knows when my son will willingly stand there and smile looking ever so dapper while I have my camera ready for action. I think I got enough pictures to last until the next big occasion. Tonight Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I will wait up for him to come home and share how the big homecoming evening went. How will we pass the time?  Yes.  More Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Mr. Yesteryear Acres is busy filling the trays with sliced tomatoes as I type my blog. Maybe I should keep writing.  Maybe this will be the longest blog ever! Maybe I will pretend I don't hear him calling from the kitchen asking, "How much longer???"  Tomatoes?  Me?  Slice some more? What? Alright Mr. Yesteryear Acres - I am on the way.  Sun-Dried Tomatoes coming up!

Friday Fun

Today was just another typical day here at Yesteryear Acres.  Lots of work - lots of smiles!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres is always the first one up and of course he gets busy the minute his feet hit the floor.  He always does the morning work - you know the fun stuff - cleaning up puppy messes, getting the newspaper, making the coffee, feeding the doodle doggies and puppies.  He never complains, never asks to sleep in and never is late in getting the puppies their breakfast.  I love that about him.  I start the day in slow motion but I always finish strong.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres has been known to fall asleep the minute he sits down at night.  Now in his defense, we usually do not sit down to relax until way after 10:00-10:30pm so he has every right to be tired.  I always do the late night puppy clean ups, letting doggies out and I get to bed right around midnight every night.  Between the 2 of us - we have the clock covered! In addition to our normal routines of caring for the puppies and doodle doggies, we always have something else on the calendar that needs done.  Today the puppies got their nails trimmed and ears cleaned and a few puppies got baths and haircuts (the back end needs trimmed on the very fluffy puppies). I have to say -they all look wonderful! I got a couple of our big doodle doggies all brushed and beautiful as well. Luckily, all our doggies LOVE to be brushed, so they usually just lie there, tails wagging, soaking up all that "OH it feels SO good" attention. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I also managed to pick 3 bushels of apples before lunchtime, so that was a big thing to cross off the list.  Next week I will start making apple rings and apple sauce but for now, I am busy getting ready to start making our sun-dried tomatoes.  I have a half bushel of tomatoes ready to go and Mr. Yesteryear Acres informed me there are at least 3 more bushels of tomatoes to pick. Tomorrow's schedule?  More of the same with a few puppy visits sprinkled in throughout the day. Hope your Friday was full of Friday Fun!  We definitely enjoyed ours!

"And It Was All.......RED"

I love the song "Yellow" by Coldplay.  You know the one that goes,
"I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all "Yellow."
I wrote that so you could start singing it in your head and get it stuck there all day long. Aren't I thoughtful? Well here at Yesteryear Acres - that song was stuck in my head but it had a slight alteration.....

Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all "RED."
WHAT?!  YES. RED.  EVERYTHING HERE IS RED. Why you ask?  Well because Mr. Yesteryear Acres brought in boatloads of tomatoes from the garden. I do mean boatloads.  Bushel after bushel came in the kitchen and there I sat. All day long.  In front of the sink. Peeling a gazillion tomatoes.  I remember when I was scared we wouldn't get enough tomatoes.  Usually I am done with my tomato canning by Labor Day but we hardly had any tomatoes then.  Well now we have TONS.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I worked all day long.  He cooked the tomatoes outside on our propane stove and I peeled and we both canned.  It was our biggest tomato canning yield we ever had in one day. SIXTY-FOUR QUARTS! Yep.  64.  In one day.

Awwww Aren't they beautiful?

I couldn't even fit them all in one shot!

As soon as we finished the last quart jar, Mr. Yesteryear Acres said, "YAY!  Now tomorrow we can start our sundried tomato project!" Looks like the rest of the week, I will be wearing Red.  From head to toe!  Tomatoes anyone?

Las Vegas - Pictures Galore!

I took lots of pictures when I went to the convention in Las Vegas. There was so much to see and do - I just had to share my adventures!

This was the view from my hotel room. So lovely!

 

Ready for my first day at the Super Zoo!

There were so many vendors to visit. The SuperZoo University Seminars were terrific!

Now THAT is a grooming style I have NEVER seen. Circus Poodle!

Aquarium Poodle!

  

I walked for miles! SO much to do!

It was like being a kid in a candy store. Awesome Doggie toys, blankets, leashes, food, beds, galore!

The annual Labradoodle Breeder's Conference was terrific. 

We were lucky to have the head of OFA as one of our speakers

Dr. Keller of OFA and me

Best Gift Ever!

The ever so wonderful Top Chef Master Hubert Keller....and me!

Hubert Keller's Brownie Lollipops.....Before

and after! YUM! SO GOOD!

Don't worry. I walked 2 miles to the Bellagio - and back almost every day to combat all the extra delicious calories.  The water fountain show is spectacular! 

Now that is a GREAT trip!!!!

Welcome Home!

I am home! YAY!  I missed Mr. Yesteryear Acres. I missed my Yesteryear Acres Doodle Puppies.  I missed my Yesteryear Acres Doodle Doggies. I missed my son, my home, my bed, EVERYTHING.  Everyone missed me too!  I was greeted by a flurry of doggie kisses and hugs and tail wags.  I think all the doodle doggies and puppies agreed - I was gone TOO long!  Even though it was late when I got home, I didn't unpack a single thing and immediately got busy taking pictures of all our puppies.  I didn't want to miss my Monday Puppy Picture update on the website.  I think I finished uploading and publishing everything right around 11pm last night.  Here is what my cute adorable furry bundles of love had to say to me when I got home.....

OH How I missed you!!!! You were gone so long!

Sniff Sniff.....I missed you too!

Look How BIG I got while you were gone!

Mr. Yesteryear Acres took AWESOME care of us. He is the best!

High Five! We are so happy that YOU ARE HOME! 

And I say - ME TOO!

Clear Skies

Right now I am high above the red rocks and canyons of Nevada and Utah as I make my way back home. On my flight here,  the plane was completely surrounded by thick cloud cover and I didn't see a thing until the plane touched the runway.  Today, I am treated by clear blue skies and I can see for miles.  It is breathtakingly beautiful.  The mountains and canyons are so colorful and the vastness of the landscape is incredible. Our plane flew right over Hoover Dam which I have never seen.  That was awesome. We were treated to a really great view - I felt as if I were on an aerial tour of the area. My trip was definitely a great experience. I learned so much and am very glad I made the time to go.  As I fly home to Yesteryear Acres and all that I love,  I am just going to sit back and enjoy the view.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres is eagerly awaiting my arrival.  He picked 6 bushels of tomatoes this morning to ensure I will get the full effect of being missed. Evidently, the canning pot is already standing by. Yesteryear Acres - I am on the way!

My Favorite Part

The last day is always my favorite part of the entire Labradoodle Breeder Conference. No - it isn't my favorite part because it is almost over and I get to go home to see my sweet Mr. Yesteryear Acres. It is my favorite part because the last day we always spend the whole day sharing tips, insights, ideas, goals and things that work and things that do not work at all.  We had almost 80 Labradoodle Breeders at the conference this year, so there was a lot of great stuff being shared. It is always so interesting to hear how other people care for their puppies, manage their websites, and go about their day-to-day business of raising their furry family members.  I always learn a great tip or two that I then incorporate into my own business and to me, that makes the whole trip so worth it.  I love my doodle doggies and I love my life at Yesteryear Acres. Learning ways to make the doodle doggies even happier or make my work at Yesteryear Acres just a little easier - definitely my favorite part!!!

Labradoodle Breeder Conference

What a treat! The speaker today at the Labradoodle Breeder Conference is the head veterinarian of the OFA. The OFA is the Orthopedic  Foundation for Animals which evaluates hip and elbow development and/or disorders in dogs.  It is an incredibly invaluable resource, one that every good breeder uses for each and every dog. Canine hip dysplasia can be a devastating diagnosis and to learn all we can to prevent that from occurring in our dogs is crucial. The annual Labradoodle Breeder Conference just keeps getting better every year. Even though I miss Mr. Yesteryear Acres so much, even though I miss my son and my doggies and my home and my very own bed, to learn so much from an expert in the field makes every minute that I am away from home worth it. I am lucky to be able to attend!!!

Top Chef Master

Last night the annual Labradoodle Breeder conference began and it was great to catch up with everyone. I look forward to the conference every year. This year has been particularly great because the Labradoodle Breeder Conference was in conjunction with the Super Zoo Expo which was amazing. I have learned so much already!! After our labradoodle meeting adjourned last night, several Doodle breeders and I headed out for dinner. We stopped by Fleur which is Hubert Keller's restaurant and from that moment on......we had a night to remember! I was SO lucky to have met Hubert Keller the night before and when we arrived, Hubert Keller was there again!!! AND he remembered me!!!! He took the time to meet everyone that came with me and of course we took pictures!!! We couldn't stop talking about how lucky we were. We all thought that was the greatest moment but the night only got BETTER! Our waiter started bringing dishes to us.....that we did not order......that looked INCREDIBLE and he said, "Compliments of the Chef"!!!!!!! WHAT!?!?!!!! That is right. We were treated to Hubert Keller's personal favorites. The food kept coming and of course it was delicious. It was beyond delicious. We all had the biggest smiles on our faces. After we finished our parade of fine food, Hubert Keller came out to see if we liked our dinner. He then talked to us for a while about his journey to becoming a Top Chef, the places he worked as an apprentice in France, what it was like for him to start his first restaurant in San Francisco and his love of family. His parents still own the pastry shoppe in France and he visits them often. Hubert Keller then thanked us for coming AND if that were not enough to have the most memorable dinner EVER - he sent desserts to our table which were so heavenly. We pretty much licked the plates clean.

All In One Morning

This morning I woke up at 5:30am. Now normally that sounds like I am some sort of Super Hero. 5:30am! WOW!  But really it is 8:30am my time so I suppose it isn't quite as amazing as it should be.  I decided to get my exercise in before my all-day seminar sessions. My schedule is full of 90 minute seminars followed by a quick 30 minute break and then back again for another seminar. Originally I had planned on working out on the treadmill in the hotel. I packed my treadmill appropriate workout gear and nice business outfits and nothing else. So this morning I thought - I don't want to walk on a treadmill when I have all of Las Vegas outside my door.  I will do my walking down the Las Vegas Strip! Why not!?  I put on my exercise outfit and out the door I went. When I hit the Casino level it became quite apparent that NOBODY wears exercise gear at 5:45am in the morning.  Not in the Casino.  In fact, I could not find another soul that was out for exercise.  I mean NO ONE.  I felt like an Alien.  WHAT IS THAT CREATURE THAT WALKS WITH A PURPOSE?!!  SHE DOESN'T EVEN STOP AT THE SLOT MACHINES!!!  ALIEN!  Well I didn't let all the horrified looks stop me. Nope. I kept on walking.  I walked from the beaches of Mandalay all the way to New York.  When I got to the Statue of Liberty, I kept on walking.  I walked all the way to a rainforest. Heck - I walked ALL THE WAY TO PARIS!  All in one morning.  Now that is a walk of monumental proportions!  Now I am off to learn more about doggies! Perfect start to a perfect day!

I'll Take One of Those

I made it safely to Las Vegas and am here at the GIGANTIC Super Zoo convention. Oh my GOODNESS are there TONS of people here.  I have never seen so many crowds of people in my life.  It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is either.  There are just thousands of people. I believe there will never be a dull moment my entire week here.  There is so much to see and do. Yesterday I think I walked 10 miles and I am not even exaggerating.  I saw so many awesome new products for dogs. Leashes, collars, dog food, dog treats, dog beds, dog toys. The list goes on and on. I never knew there were so many types of leashes!!!!  It was like being a kid in a candy shop.  I kept thinking, I'll take one of those and one of those and one of those. There are really some innovative doggie products that are coming out.  I am excited as I am planning all the new treats for my doodle doggies and puppies at Yesteryear Acres.  I will be coming home with a suitcase full of new ideas and doggie presents! After spending the entire day walking, I was SO thirsty! I went to the shops in the hotel and can you believe ONE bottle of water was $4.00! It was just plain bottled water too.  I walked to the next hotel and same thing. I kept walking and kept walking and each hotel had the same pricing.  Evidently hotel water is expensive in Las Vegas.  I ended up walking down the strip at street level and came across a flashy SOUVENIR GIFT SHOP, Inside they had ice cold Dasani water bottles for $.50 cents each.  OH! I will take one of those, and one of those and one of those!!! I bought 8 bottles for the price of one bottle back at the hotel.  Now I cannot say the mile long walk back to my hotel, toting a plastic bag full of water bottles, in the dark, alone, in Vegas, was the most fun I ever had but I have my water!  I am ready for round two!  I'll take one of those, and one of those, AND one of those! Here I come!

Never Forget

Right now I am thousands of feet above the clouds, heading west. I have to admit I was a little nervous arriving at the airport.  Every September 11th, I am filled with thoughts of the attack on our nation and this morning was no different. I felt somber thinking about all the loved ones who perished that day. I think about all those people who went to work, boarded an airplane, who went about their normal routines, who never knew that this would be the last day of their lives. As I was buying some bottled water in the airport shop, all the televisions were playing re-runs of the news from 9/11. It was an odd feeling to prepare to board a plane, all the while hearing the news about the buildings on fire, people dying, and the planes crashing. I think all the passengers were feeling a little leery as it was fairly silent as we boarded. I found my seat and the woman next to me said, "Well, if today is the day I die, I will feel good knowing my life insurance is paid so my kids will be well taken care of."  We talked for a little while and I told her that I was going to take a nap. She said, " That is a good idea. I always wanted to go in my sleep." Forget 9/11.......I don't think so. Always Remember.  Never Forget.

Tomato Doodle

Mr. Yesteryear Acres had a HUGE surprise waiting for me when I got home yesterday. Any guesses as to what it was?  If you are thinking TOMATOES - you are right!  But never fear....in between all the peeling and cooking and canning, I still made time for PUPPY MONDAY PICTURE DAY.

Nutmeg's Red Caramel Babies

And her cute Chocolate Doodle Babies

McGyver's Double Doodle babies are getting so big!

And of course so adorable

And I wouldn't want to forget our Tomato Doodle!

27 Quarts Canned today!  Good thing I had my Tomato Doodle to help me!

I am not going to write about.....

Don't worry. I am not going to write about the continuing saga at the hotel.  I wouldn't want you to think I would go on and on about the NOT EXACTLY what I had planned weekend.  I wouldn't want you to be bored reading about the cricket that somehow found its way to my room and chirped EVERY TIME I closed my eyes and stopped the second I sat up to go find him. Nooooo. I wouldn't want to torture you with the cricket sound again and again and again ALL NIGHT LONG.  I also wouldn't want to make you read about the lackadaisical staff at the hotel that didn't care about the broken stove, non-functioning DVD player or the TV with NO sound.  I am sure you don't want to read about how they made me change rooms because they have no maintenance staff and how I finally unloaded the refrigerator, all the food from home, my pots and pans, and all my clothes from my old hotel room and got EVERYTHING loaded up on a wheelie cart only to find the new room they gave me HAD PEOPLE STILL IN IT.  I wouldn't want you to have to share the horror on my face when I opened the door nor would I want you to have to visualize the faces of the occupants of that room. Nope.  That would be too scary.  I also won't tell you how the SECOND new room was a handicapped room so it had NO TABLE at all which made eating the nice meal I prepared quite a challenge.  And finally, I definitely will absolutely NOT tell you how the electricity went out due to the horrible storms that rolled through.  You just haven't experienced a fun-filled evening until you sit in a dark hotel room with no electricity. And just in case you were wondering - the answer is no.  No the hotel didn't adjust my bill AT ALL. What I will write about is - tonight - as I was making my long drive back home - I was treated to the most beautiful long-lasting brilliant pink and purple sunset.  It bathed the entire countryside with vivid color. It was so widespread that it practically covered the entire sky. I can tell you the beauty of that sunset filled me with such awe. I couldn't help but smile the rest of the way home. Nature's Beauty. It is a wondrous thing.

Not Exactly

Oh My.  This weekend is not exactly how I envisioned it. Let's see.  I did my puppy mobile run and that all went very well.  I even got brownies! Then I checked into my hotel and waited to see my older daughter.  Seeing her is the big HUGE bonus for my puppy delivery trips.  Last night around 6:00 she let me know she was coming.  YAY!  I ran to the kitchenette to start making dinner.  I brought all the ingredients from home so I could make her a home-cooked meal.  The stove top would NOT turn on.  At all.  The knobs were frozen and wouldn't budge. I called the front desk.  She said, "oh that is too bad."  Evidently there are no maintenance workers on the weekend.  So looks like a microwave "home-cooked" meal.  I am so glad I made sure to find a place with a kitchenette.  Then I did what any excitedly awaiting mommy would do ...I sat by the window so I could see her pull in the parking lot. And I sat.  And I sat.  One hour later I got an "I am on the way" text. One hour later.......I finally got to see her. She had a brief that was suddenly scheduled. She was starving when she arrived and had the pleasure of eating her microwave meal and then HAD TO GO BACK TO THE MARINE CORPS BASE.  She had to be in uniform and report to duty at 5:30am Saturday morning.  WAH! We decided that we would watch one show of our television series we are watching together before she had to go back.  And. Then. The DVD remote wouldn't work. ARGH.  No directional arrows.  No enter button.  I called the front desk.  They said they had another remote but if I wanted it, I had to come and get it.  They were not going to bring it to me. OK.  So I ran down 4 flights of stairs to get the remote, back up the stairs and then......it wasn't the remote.  The DVD player doesn't work.  Great.  I said my sad good-byes to my daughter and then climbed into bed.  I was sad to have the empty bed next to mine. I decided to watch some TV to get my mind off of the sad goodbye.  And. Then.  The sound would not work.  I am not kidding. The ONLY stations to have sound were the home shopping network and the county government channel.  The rest were silent.  Sigh.  Not Exactly the weekend I thought I was going to have.  I wonder what today will bring.  At least I have brownies!

Never a Dull Moment

I left very early this morning in the dark foggy wee hours with my puppy mobile loaded with cuteness.  Last night after my OH SO FUN adventure at Urgent Care, I was so far behind on my list of things to do.  Being a true Type A person, I couldn't just skip the list - oh no - I had to make sure I did everything on the list.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres suggested that I skip cleaning the downstairs. WHAT?  That is ON MY LIST!  Surely he had to have been joking.  My list was ridiculously long already and I probably should have heeded his advice but of course I just kept plugging away. Clean downstairs. Check. Vacuum. Check.  Make fresh loaf of bread. Check. Grate gigantic pile of Zucchini for the freezer. Check. Pack the puppy mobile. Check. Pack my own things. Check....and so on and so forth.  Around 11:30pm last night, I realized that baking the promised Molasses Oatmeal Cookies just wasn't going to happen.  I didn't have it in me to start baking at that hour.  I still had some work to do and as it was, I didn't crawl into bed until almost 12:30am.  The O'Dark-Thirty alarm this morning seemed awfully cruel.  I was rewarded however with the most brilliant RED sunrise as I made my travels east. It was quite the sight. I was also rewarded with a gift of BROWNIES, given to me by one of my puppy families!  FRESH BAKED BROWNIES!  YAY!  Who needs cookies?! Mmmmmmm. Brownies!  Thank you for the treat! All that is left today is to wait for the phone call from the radiologist.  Seems like my son's thumb requires an expert to read the films. His old break was so severe, they are having trouble determining exactly where the new break might be.  He left Urgent Care with a lovely cast that extends past his wrist and as soon as the radiologist calls, we get to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic specialist. Joy!  Life at Yesteryear Acres.....never a dull moment!

Guess Where I Am?

Guess where I am? I know. I know. You are thinking it is Thursday, she must be cleaning the house. Well you would be partially right. It is Thursday and I WAS cleaning the house. I just finished cleaning the entire second floor and was starting on cleaning the downstairs bathroom when my phone rang. It was my son.

"Mom, I need you to take me to Urgent Care."

Now normal people might start to panic. Normal people might start to fret and  become consumed with worry. We are not normal people. In fact we have a frequent flyer card at the Urgent Care. We are like the NORM of Cheers when we walk in.  Everybody knows my name.  So of course when I answered my son I calmly said, "okay" in a nice relaxed tone, got my purse, grabbed my iPad, and walked out the door. I almost have the Urgent Care routine down pat. I could do it in my sleep. So where am I? At Urgent Care of course.  My son and I are sitting here waiting on the X-ray results. I am currently taking bets.  I say broken thumb. And for those keeping track - this is the same exact thumb he broke about 4 years ago.  I am thinking that they should give us the 2nd broken thumb discount!

Situation Normal - Too Much to Do!

I have been working like crazy since the moment my feet hit the floor.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres started the day by bringing 40 glass quart canning jars up from the basement for me to clean and sterilize.  I told Mr. Yesteryear Acres that he was far too optimistic as to how many tomatoes we would bring in today - but he was convinced we would have boatloads. I began the ever so fun task of cleaning and sterilizing all the jars.  I cleaned my great big stockpots for the tomatoes.  When all the tomatoes were picked .....we filled one sink to the top with tomatoes and the other sink just partially filled.  Not exactly 40 quarts worth.  Poor Mr. Yesteryear Acres.  He really thought we would have a gigantic haul today.  Still I had a lot of work to peel and crush the tomatoes we did have and start cooking down the crushed tomatoes.  By the end of the day we got 16 quarts canned. Not bad!  Now I only need 88 more quarts to go! Besides cleaning the 40 jars and canning the tomatoes, I also
Combed, Trimmed and Bathed all of Eloise's Double Doodle puppies.

Put together the Double Doodle Puppy care packages

Made enough stir fry for dinner plus 6 care packages to freeze.  There are at least 6 fresh vegetables that I had to prepare and chop for the dinner.  My fingers are definitely wrinkly today!

Answered emails

Wrote my Blog

Exercised

and

yes - I was able to TAKE A SHOWER. I was quite a mess after washing all the puppies and spattering myself with tomato bits!

I still have the big stockpot of caked-on crushed tomatoes to clean, plus the dinner dishes to wash, plus the stir fry mess to clean up, plus I have 6 loads of laundry to fold.
Um.....will I ever get to bed?  Nope! Tomorrow is another busy day!

Five of Six

SADNESS!  I was just going over my calendar and I realize that I will be away from my beautiful Yesteryear Acres for 5 of the next 6 weekends! SAD! I have the busiest fall schedule. I am not sure how everything got so over-scheduled.  I have several puppy deliveries scheduled as well as 2 big trips planned. sigh. I really don't like traveling alone.  I don't like being away from the people I love. I will miss home.  I will miss my bed.  I will miss Mr. Yesteryear Acres. I will miss my son. I will miss my puppies.  I must remind myself that all my trips are super important and people are depending on me to make those trips. This weekend I need to load up the puppy mobile and make another trip out to the east coast. I have puppy happiness to deliver. Once I get home, I will have exactly one day before I head out for one of my big trips. I am going to Las Vegas for the Annual International Labradoodle Breeder's Conference and I am also attending the Super Zoo and the Super Zoo University seminars. I have lots of classes scheduled so I can be up-to-date on all things doggie related including health, training, grooming, wellness, fitness and nutrition. I will be gone almost a week but I hope to gain a lot of knowledge that I can apply here at Yesteryear Acres. I like to learn all I can so I can be the best that I can be. My Doodle doggies deserve the best! Looks like I better start packing.  I am in for a long travel schedule ahead.

Labor Day...Does this look like work?

The puppies were hard at work today.  They really wanted to put the "Labor" into the Labor Day weekend.
First up....Learning to climb the stairs

It is SO HIGH!  How can we ever reach the top? 

Come on Guys! I did it!  It isn't too hard!

I just can't climb that high yet....but I am trying!

I think I am SO cute, you should just carry me.

Our chocolate puppies ventured outside for the first time.  They thought it was hard work being away from Mommy Nutmeg.  They did "labor" for 5 whole minutes before we carried them back inside.  Being with Mommy is still the best at this age.

Then of course we "labored" by having to cuddle with a lap full of our sweet Double Doodle puppies.

Such hard work!

Speaking of hard work....It is NAPTIME!  

I love my snuggle blankie!

"Pssssst, "Happy Labor Day"