Hoping Not Serious

Where am I right now? If you guess Urgent Care - you win. Oh. My.  Can I  get a frequent flyer card or something? Can I have a dedicated room? My son was injured during track practice. He has what appears to be a severe head injury and neck injury. The doctors at the Urgent Care are thinking possible cervical fracture. Right now they are fitting him with a cervical brace and it looks like we will be transferred to the Emergency Room by ambulance. I just hope my boy is okay.  He is in a lot of pain.  We hope we can be seen here and it is something less serious like a soft tissue injury.  No scratch that - we are definitely headed to the emergency room. The doctors just came in and said he has to go. The ambulance just arrived and they are coming to get him.  I will be following behind. Looks like we are in for a long night.  

PuppyLaPalooza

Today was puppy shopping day! After all the neat things I got to see at the Global Pet Expo, I just had to order some for our sweet Yesteryear Acres Doodle Doggies and Puppies. I was lucky enough to receive several discount codes/coupons that expired at the end of this week so the shopping had to get done right away. I got to spend my day browsing through hundreds of cute toys and collars and leashes and everything doodle. Shopping for our Yesteryear Acres Doodles is always so much fun. I found some new toys that I think the puppies will really love and I stocked up on some old favorites as well.  I can't wait for the big order to arrive.  It will feel like Christmas.  My doggies are already well trained - they know that the Mail Carrier always brings something good - and this time there will be goodies for everyone.  So exciting!  It will be PuppyLaPalooza around here! Okay Delivery Man - The Doodles are Ready!

Global Pet Expo Pictures

I finally got my pictures synced to my computer from my trip to the Global Pet Expo.  I learned a TON and have already started using some of the tips! Here are a few pictures from my trip:

The Global Pet Expo was huge! I took this picture while standing in the middle - there was just so much to see!

This doggie is a retired Army Veteran.  He is a hero doggie!!!!

Of course I had to play with the puppies.  I play with puppies every day at home and even still - the second I saw the puppies I was so excited.  "OH PUPPIES! YAY!"  They were super cute and so sweet!

I was invited to meet Cesar Milan's doggies.  I am petting his pit bull companion "Junior" and I have one doggie behind me that just loved me. They were a sweet bunch.

Cesar did a doggie treadmill demonstration.  Maybe I should train one of my Yesteryear Acres Doodles to walk with me on my treadmill! 

I think the person that took this picture for me wasn't too happy that I got invited to go up on stage with Cesar.  She begrudgingly took the picture. It might just be the worst picture ever! LOL. I think she shook my camera on purpose. In any case - you can tell that I was there.  I had a nice chat with him too. He was super excited about the launch of his new dog products.

 

Here I am with a few of my Labradoodle Breeder friends.  We shared a lot of information and everyone learned something new.  I am so glad I went!

Thanks my sweet doodle friends!!!!

Just ONE more please!!!!

My camera is breaking! ACK! Horrors! I need my camera! I take puppy pictures every Monday and having my most awesome camera is a must.  Today as we were taking the puppy pictures the shutter button wouldn't work. No matter how hard I pressed, the picture wouldn't take.  We had to take the battery out, put the battery back in, shoot a long distance picture, then shoot a close up and then repeat for EVERY SINGLE PUPPY PICTURE. It took over 2 hours to get the pictures done.  Needless to say, my camera is headed to the repair shop! I kept saying, "just ONE more picture PLEASE!" after every take.  Luckily we got individual pictures of all our sweet puppies and the pictures turned out even with all the camera woes.  So without further ado....here are this week's pictures!

The puppies were so surprised to see something called "The Sun!"

They wondered where all the ice went

The walkways were all dry and warm

It was perfect for napping

They loved the warm sunshine so much, they even cooperated for a group shot!

Olive's puppies are getting bigger

They start solid food this week and will really start to grow

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!!!

That's Early!

I never realized how many people are adamant about an early arrival to the airport. Last night when I was talking with my doodle breeder friends about my flight home this morning, almost every single one was insisting that I arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before my flight. 2 hours? I told them I always arrive 1 hour before my flight and I never have any problems. They were all aghast with horror! ONE HOUR!?? Are you crazy?!! YOU HAVE TO ARRIVE AT LEAST TWO HOURS BEFORE!!! I thought I was doing well to arrive an hour early. When they heard that I had to check luggage, the look of horror on their faces was almost frightening. I said the hotel is only 12 miles from the airport - at most that is a 30 minute drive. My flight was scheduled to depart at 7:30am. I was going to have the taxi pick me up at 6:10am. I figured who leaves Orlando at 7:30am on a Sunday?! Most people will stay all day to squeeze in every minute of fun before they leave "the happiest place on earth". I was told by no less than 20 people that I would never catch my flight. I thought I was making a huge sacrifice when I said, "What about if I leave at 6:00am?" ACK! NO! YOU WILL NEVER MAKE IT! Man. These people were tough. I began to question my own policies. One breeder had a 7:00am flight and left the hotel this morning at 3:40am! To me - that is insanity! I found 2 other friends that also had 7:30am flights and we compromised and had the taxi pick us up at 5:30am. Oh. My. SO EARLY! We arrived at the airport by 5:45am and what do you know........I was at my gate by 6:10am. Dear Doodle Friends that made me leave so early........Thank you for giving me plenty of time to write my blog, eat breakfast, walk the airport, answer my emails, watch a movie, walk some more, and still have plenty of time to sit and wait and wait and wait. Oh boy! Only 20 more minutes until I board and 45 minutes until the flight leaves! Is it nap time yet?

Labradoodle Conference Awesomeness

Today was Labradoodle Labradoodle Labradoodle all day long. It was a great conference full of invaluable information. We went over everything from newborn puppy care to picture taking to breeding practices. I have been to every single Labradoodle Breeder Conference and I always leave with so much gratitude. I always learn something and I always leave with great ideas on how to be an even better doodle owner. We had one session that taught us how to use a new software made specifically for dog breeders. It is a software package that keeps track of everything. You can manage your monthly sales tax reports, year-end tax statements, dog health records, puppy birthdates - everything. It was so informative and the software would really make me so much more organized. I kept shaking my head up and down during the whole session as I was so eager to get the software and improve my record keeping. At the end of the session there was a raffle to give away one software package and guess who won???!!!! ME!!! I was so excited I actually jumped up and down with my hands in the air shouting, "THAT'S ME!!!! YAY!" I cannot wait to get home to set up the new program. This will be so great. I am so glad I came to the conference and once again I will be leaving with brand new tools to make Yesteryear Acres even better.

Global Pet Expo

I am so excited because I had the best day at the Global Pet Expo. I found some terrific new toys and fun things for my doodle doggies. The Global Pet Expo was HUGE. It took forever to get through the entire Expo. It was the length of 11 football fields and every square inch was packed with pet goodies. I started in one corner and methodically went up and down every single aisle. My step counter read over 20,000 steps before the day was over! That was a lot of walking! I talked to so many pet lovers and the whole day was great. I got asked to be in a commercial for a doggie toothpaste so of course I said yes. They are going to let me know when the commercial runs so that is exciting. I even got invited by Cesar Milan to go up on stage with him. That was awesome. I have pictures of me with his doggies and a picture of me with Cesar. Later in the afternoon I met up with some of my labradoodle breeder friends and we walked the floor together. All in all - one perfect day!

Who Needs A Jacket?

The last thing Mr. Yesteryear Acres said to me as I walked out the door was that he loved me and he would really miss me. The second to last thing he said was that I might want a jacket. A jacket? Me? No way! I am going to the Global Pet Expo in FLORIDA. Where it is WARM. I definitely don't need a jacket. Fast forward to me waiting at the airport.....where they are doing construction....and there is a lovely wintry breeze whipping through the waiting area. Everyone is hovering with their teeth chattering. Why don't I have a jacket? The 2+ hour plane ride was no warmer. Everyone was complaining about how DARN COLD it was. My nose was running non-stop and my teeth were chattering. I was that cold. Why don't I have a jacket? WAH! I am so coooooooold! I would like to say that when I landed in Florida that my coldness was over, but alas, it was not. Since I had debated so long as to whether I would actually go to the Pet Expo, I didn't arrange transportation to get to my hotel. As I exited the airport and started walking towards the taxi stand, I saw the city bus. The banner said CONVENTION CENTER. Hey! I am going there! I asked the bus driver if he went by my hotel. He said, this bus will take you RIGHT there. What!?! Perfect! The fare? $2.00! What a BARGAIN! I am feeling so smart. I got on the bus. I paid my $2.00 and I was soon surrounded by Floridians in winter gear. The air conditioning on the bus was blasting ON ARCTIC. I am still sooooo cold! Why Oh Why didn't I bring a jacket??!! BUT I am feeling optimistic. I should be at the Convention Center any minute. The bus driver said that the bus would go RIGHT there. The Convention Center is only 12 miles from the airport. I check my watch. 30 minutes have elapsed. We have stopped every 200 feet. How many bus stops can there be? How many times can we stop? I am sure we will be there soon. Oh my am I cold. I check my watch again. Another 30 minutes. Ummm???! Hey?! Where is the bus driver going? OH obviously it is lunch break. The bus driver literally stopped the bus on the street and then walked to a taco restaurant to get food. OK. No one else seems bothered so it must be a common practice. Wow. It is really not that much fun sitting on a bus, surrounded by strangers, holding onto your luggage. Finally the bus driver came back and it was back to STOP. GO. STOP. GO. The ride just would not end. TWO HOURS LATER - the bus driver says, you should get off here. Your hotel is back about 1/2 mile down that street. Lovely. I get off the bus with all my luggage and walk to the hotel dragging my suitcases behind me. As soon as I give my name to the receptionist, she says that she cannot find my reservation. Evidently this is the OTHER hotel with the same name. The one I want is another mile down the road. They offered to call a taxi and said it would take 30 minutes before one would be available. So of course I said, no - and I picked up my luggage and hit the road and walked to the other hotel. $2.00 bus ride. Might have not been the best move of the day BUT after walking 1.5 miles with my suitcases........at least I am no longer cold!

To Go or Not to Go

This week is the Global Pet Expo and Winter Labradoodle Breeder's Conference. I have had this trip planned for a few months but was so worried about going. Mr. Yesteryear Acres still isn't feeling 100%. There is so much work to do at home. I felt like I really needed to stay home. Mr. Yesteryear Acres assured me that things would be fine. When I went to the SuperZoo and checked out all the new dog products, I found some awesome things for our doodle doggies and puppies. I learned a lot at the seminars and at the conference. The trip was SO worth it for our sweet doggies. I found new toys and treats and grooming products and learned better ways of doing some doodle chores. I firmly believe that there is always room to learn and grow and to do better. Just because "it's the way it has always been done" doesn't necessarily make it the best way. Sometimes you can find even better ways of doing something! I love to do the best I can for our doodle doggies ... And so I packed my bags and headed to the airport at O'Dark-Thirty. Here's hoping for an informative and productive week!

Green White Green White Green

Oh look outside! It is so beautiful!  Everything is white.  Snow is everywhere. What a beautiful vision of Winter.
1 hour later...................
Oh look outside! It is so beautiful! Everything is green! Green Grass everywhere.  What a beautiful vision of Spring.
This has literally been our entire week here. We have had several days where every single branch on every single tree has been loaded with snow and our backyard has looked like a snowglobe.  We have had the most beautiful winter days this week.  We have also had nothing but green grass with the spring flowers starting to bloom. We have gone from NO snow to 1/2 foot of snow back to no snow almost every day.  Sometimes multiple times a day! I never know what to wear!  Yesterday my son and I took a 5 mile walk and I wore a sweatshirt.  Today I woke up to snow.  Then no snow. Then more snow. The doodle doggies just look at me like - this again?! We literally don't know what the weather will be from one hour to the next.  I am prepared however - I have my sandals AND my winter snow boots by the back door.  I am ready! Green! White! Green! White! ACK!

3 Day Weekend - YAY!

Happy President's Day! Today is an AWESOME Monday because President's Day means 3 Day Weekend! My son doesn't have school and is home all day long.  I LOVE no school days almost as much as my son does.  It feels like a gift to be given a whole extra day with him.  He has been a great help all weekend and has been carrying most of the workload while Mr. Yesteryear Acres recuperates from his back injury.  Today we made quick work of our chore list and even got the puppy pictures done on time. If we are really lucky, we are taking a super long walk together with a couple of doodle doggies. I can't wait!
Here are this week's adorable puppy pictures:

Eloise's Double Doodle Babies are so loveable

You can't help but snuggle with them all the time

They start solid foods this week and will really start to grow

Olive's Babies are doing great

Their ears and eyes are now open so everything is interesting

Even Napping

Which is their favorite thing to do

Sleep tight sweet Caramel Babies!

Happy Monday!

Fear

My younger daughter finally made it back to her host family home. She had quite the awful week and I have never been so relieved to hear she made it back safely. The pickpocket incident in Spain left her feeling quite vulnerable.  No phone.  No rail pass. No feeling of security.  Then she was SO sick with food poisoning. She couldn't keep anything down at all for over 24 hours.  Then sadly, my daughter and her friend missed a bus connection due to the stolen rail pass, ended up 4 hours out of their way, late at night, all the while desperate to get back "home".  Near the end of their journey, her friend had her backpack stolen.  She lost everything - all her clothes, her glasses, her souvenirs - all gone.  It happened in an instant too.  They were riding on a train and their backpacks were on the rack right above their heads.  Some man leaned into my daughter's friend, his coat in her face, and in that instant grabbed her backpack and ran. To say this was a nightmare of a trip would be an understatement.  It was really awful and has left both of them full of fear.  How can they travel again? How can they go and see all the things they have dreamed of?  How will they ever feel safe again? Fear is a crippling emotion. It is hard to just STOP being afraid but with every positive step forward, fear can be left behind. I am sending some anti-theft items to my daughter to help prevent future incidents from occurring. I purchased some slash proof, chain encased, RFID proofed bags and that should really help keep her things safe.  I also said she needs to keep her sense of adventure.  She needs to keep her sense of wonder.  She cannot let the one bad week rob her of all that awaits.

You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.  ~Mary Manin Morrissey

Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.  ~Bill Cosby

To fear is one thing.  To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.  ~Katherine Paterson

I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear.  ~Rosa Parks

By the end of our email chatting, she was feeling better. She feels prepared to tackle the world once again.  As for me.....only 4 more months until June.....When she is back home....safe and sound.

Excellent Music Choice

One of the nice things about me doing all the farm chores is that my doodle doggies and puppies and horsies got to hear MY music.  I am not saying that Mr. Yesteryear Acres has BAD music - I am just saying he has the exact same music EVERY single day.  He and my son are major Country Music fans and they always listen to country.  If you play a Country radio station, I guarantee that within 2 hours you will have had every song repeated at least 3 times.  It is the same 20 songs again and again and again.  POOR DOGGIES!  No variety!  I was there to save the day! I was there to play a little bit of everything. I could tell they really liked my musical selection.  They were particularly fond of my singing as well.  Doodle doggies make the best audience.  It didn't matter what song I was singing to them, you could see they really loved it.  Their tails were wagging and they were "singing" along with me.  I did an excellent job with the "waste management" and just got the last of the doodle droppings picked up when the snow really started to fall. Within the hour - everything was blanketed in a fresh white snow.  It was as if Yesteryear Acres was saying, "thank you for cleaning and taking care of the doodle doggies and doing all the farm chores while playing your most awesome music selection.......here's your reward".  So pretty.  So grateful.  So peaceful. Best reward ever.

Am I Alexander?

Remember the book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad day?" Alexander had a day where nothing went right.  Poor Alexander. It looks as if Yesteryear Acres is following Alexander's day.  The phone woke us up early this morning and my younger daughter has a horrible case of food poisoning.  She has been throwing up constantly and she even threw up all over the train station.  She is so sick, so sad, and also feels awful about throwing up all over the train station floor. She went to the pharmacy to get medication and that has brought no relief.  She has the chills and probably a fever and is flat out sick. She has to travel all day and the only support I can give her from so far away is to tell her to bring lots of trash bags so she can throw up in the bags.  Sigh.  Pick pocketed and food poisoning. Guess when I said she would have all kinds of experiences traveling through Europe - I really meant it. I feel so bad having her so miserable so far away from home. She is sick, scared, and sad which is something no mommy ever wants for their child. I wish I could make her feel better.
After we hung up the phone, I wondered why Mr. Yesteryear Acres wasn't moving.  He has really hurt his back.  He moved some firewood yesterday and he forgot to tighten his back brace before he picked up a very big log and he felt his back go.  Today, he can barely walk.  He is in a lot of pain.  I have everything he needs all set up and he will have to rest all day and probably all weekend as well.  I will have to find a good DVD or two to keep him still.  He isn't one to do nothing but I am fairly certain the pain will keep him from moving.  Looks like I am on double duty today. Farm chores, puppy chores, house chores, hurt husband chores.....make that quadruple duty.
After I got Mr. Yesteryear Acres all set I went downstairs to let out the dogs and oh no.  Olive accidentally laid on one of her puppies last night.  We lost a chocolate girl. Olive looked so sad. You can tell she feels awful. I feel awful.  Poor puppy. It is one of the hardest parts about raising doggies.  Sometimes sad heart-wrenching things happen.  I had to give Olive some extra love and tell her I know she didn't mean to. Sigh.  All of this and it is only 9:30am.  I think I am in for one long day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is day devoted to love.  Often Valentine's Day is looked upon as a holiday that only celebrates the love of a significant other but it is so much more.  Valentine's day is about love. Love of your children.  Love of your doodle doggies.  Love of your family.  Love of your life! I think it is a great day to tell everyone that is important to you, how much they mean to you.  Happy YOU ARE REALLY SPECIAL AND IMPORTANT TO ME Day!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I are going to try and do something really out of the ordinary later today.  We are going to try and ....do NOTHING.  This doesn't happen very often.  Our plan? To try and catch up on some of the TV episodes we have recorded on our DVR.  First up......we want to watch the valentine's day episode of NCIS........from 2012!  Yes we are about 26 episodes behind!  That's how things are here at Yesteryear Acres.  We are always busy with doodle things but we are also always appreciated.  Just look at what I got from my doodle doggies this morning:

It said "Will you be my doodle buddy?"

Awwww.  Of course!  I hope your Valentine's Day is wonderful and you get to spend your day with those you love!

Pick Pocket Person- NOT NICE!

Our phone rang yesterday morning at 5am which usually means school is delayed or closed but the roads were clear and it didn't look like there was any chance of a school delay.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres was the first to answer the phone but no one was there.  He crawled  back into  bed with both of us thinking how NOT nice it was for someone to call us at that hour.  Just as we finished that thought, the phone rang again. My younger daughter was on the other end sobbing.  She is in Spain right now and had been pick pocketed.  Her iphone was stolen as was her rail pass. All her pictures are gone. All her videos from Europe are gone.  All her contacts.  She feels so violated.  A piece of her was stolen.  I assured her that the memories of those things still remain and the phone - is just a phone.  It is a thing that can be replaced.  As long as she was safe - nothing else in the world matters. The rest of my day was spent changing passwords, canceling accounts and my favorite favorite favorite thing in the world.....spending hours on the phone with the cell phone company. The end result - no the phone was not covered against theft.  If it were broken, they would fix it. But stolen? No.  That is not a good reason for a replacement.  AND no one in my family is eligible for a replacement/upgrade/swap.  AND if I want a phone - it will cost FULL retail price.  Oh Joy.  I spent several hours going through various options on cost cutting and circumventing the phone issue but in the end, my daughter needs a phone.  In the end, making things work around the phone issue just didn't solve anything. In the end, my wallet is empty. Of course- it is just a thing.  Things can be replaced and so, hers has been replaced.  I stayed up until 1:00am loading her phone with what she needs because........she did NOT back up her phone.  I am going to wait before I give her that lecture. I just downloaded each previously purchased item.....one......by.......one......all.......night.......long.  I am fairly sure I get the mom award for that.  I even put pictures of us on her phone and of her doodle doggies and of things she loved so when she gets the phone and turns it on, she will smile.  Hopefully it will be less painful than looking at an empty picture folder. I got the phone all packed up and was at the post office first thing this morning. Hopefully it will make it there safe and sound.  And more importantly, hopefully my daughter can continue to enjoy the beauty of Europe. Stay safe my sweet daughter!

Puppy Valentine Love

The puppies are soooooo cute and soooooo sweet.  It was so fun taking their pictures yesterday. They are so snuggly and so soft and so adorable.  Mr. Yesteryera Acres and I just kept saying, "Awwww look how cute!" Enjoy this week's puppy pictures!

Olive's Sweet Babies - 2 Caramel Brothers

So much love!

Everyone Loves Chocolate Puppy Hearts for Valentines!

Caramel Girls

Sweet Puppy Dreams

Chocolates and Caramels....Perfect Combination!

Eloise's Double Doodle Babies are getting bigger

These two boys are still available

Their eyes are now open. Hello!

And Goodnight!

Puppy Valentine Love!

Happy Birthday to my Marine

Today is my older daughter's birthday. Even though we aren't together, I feel that this birthday is one of her best because she is right where she wants to be. She accomplished her goal of graduating from the Naval Academy.  She accomplished her goal of graduating from TBS. She accomplished her goal of becoming a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. And now she is tacking her newest goal. She is at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico studying to become a Command and Control Systems Officer.  Yes she is right where she wants to be and as a bonus, on her birthday, she is not in the field, she is not humping with a 100lb pack, she is not experiencing hypothermia, she is not being gassed, she is at school.  Safe and Sound.  Every mommy's dream for a perfect birthday!

Warrior Day at TBS was a day we will never forget

We were amazed at all the things she had done

And all the things she will do

And through it all......she is still our little girl

 Happy Birthday our sweet 2nd Lt.  WE LOVE YOU!

And for everyone eagerly awaiting Monday cute puppy pictures

There are so many adorable pictures - they need a blog post just for them!

Tune in tomorrow for puppy "awwwwwws"!

4 More Days

Oh Mr. Yesteryear Acres has been very tricky lately. He keeps hinting about a fantastic Valentine's Day.  Every night he asks me if I want my Valentine's present early.  Of course I say no - but secretly I am wondering if he really IS going to get me a Valentine's present.  It isn't something we normally do.  We kind of treat every day as Valentine's day - so we don't go overboard with cards or presents.  We usually just make a really nice dinner - which is just like every other night.  See?  Just another day.  A great day - but not a present kind of overwhelming OH MY GOSH IT IS VALENTINE'S DAY kind of day.  This week Mr. Yesteryear Acres made a HUGE heart in the snow on our hill.  It takes up almost the entire hillside.  Despite our declining weather - my heart is still there.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres says, "Oh your VALENTINE'S HEART is still there!" and "If it melts, guess I will have to get you something for Valentine's Day".  This is very unlike him.  Tonight he had a catalog on our kitchen counter opened to a jewelry page and drew hearts all over the page.  He wrote "Valentine's Hint?"  Right next to the catalog was a box of brownie mix. I got the Valentine's hint and OF COURSE I made the brownies!  Okay Mr. Yesteryear Acres.....I did my part!  4 more days of torture.....4 more days.......

Smiled with Glee

This afternoon my son asked me if I wanted him to go with me on a walk. Of course I said, "YES!"  I have to say things like that, totally make me happy. It was out of the blue, totally unexpected and very much appreciated.  He wanted to bring a couple of doodle doggies with us and drive to the arboretum near us for a nice lengthy walk.  I bundled up with ear muffs and gloves and a scarf and he went with a light jacket. He is always laughing about how cold I get and I always marvel at how he is never cold.  We both dressed appropriately - I was a little too cold and he was a little too warm so between us - we were just right.  The doggies were SO excited.  They jumped in the back of the car with HUGE smiles on their faces.  OH BOY OH BOY!  WE ARE GOING TO A RIDE! The second we got to the arboretum, they bounded out of the car with happiness. Their tails wagged with glee for our whole walk.  I smiled with glee for our whole walk. My son and I talked about everything. We laughed and had fun with the doggies and really enjoyed each other's company. To me - there is no more perfect way to spend the day. I am so lucky - thanks dear son of mine!

Just 400 more to go!

My younger daughter and I have this little device that we wear and it tells us how many steps we have taken each day, how many flights of stairs we climbed, how many calories we have burned and our total mileage for the day.  Our daily goal is 10,000 steps and 10 flights of stairs.  That is the expected milestone for each day. We can see each other's progress and we know how the other person is doing at any given moment.  Well ever since my daughter has been in Europe - she has been beating me.  And by beating me - I mean she is killing me.  For instance, last Saturday, she walked 16 miles.  MILES.  Ummmmm I am not even close!  She is getting 20,000+ steps a day and my little graph of progress looks pathetic next to hers.  This week she has added jogging to her routine so honestly - there is just no hope for me.  She said she is only walking at a regular pace because she has to walk everywhere but since it is just slow walking, it can't be considered cardio. Oh Okay.  16 miles SO not cardio.  My daughter HAD to add in some jogging. It is clear that I will be a distant second place HOWEVER I am still committed to my own goals. I can't let that device tell me I failed to reach my goal.  And the device emails me periodically throughout the day. "Come On Renee! Only 2,980 more steps to reach your goal!" I feel like I can't let it down!  Last night when I was ready to crawl into bed around midnight, I looked and saw I had only 400 more steps to go.  WHAT?!  NO! So I did what any sane and reasonable person would do.......I jogged in place until I reached my goal. You should have seen the look on Mr. Yesteryear Acres face.  Once I said, "I only have 400 steps to go!" - he understood immediately.  He said, "if you jog faster you can get that done in no time!"  Good ole Mr. Yesteryear Acres. RUN RUN RUN and DONE!

Clean. Not Clean. Clean

Of course I started today as I start each and every Thursday - armed with my rags and cleaning supplies and vacuum, ready to tackle the arduous task of keeping Yesteryear Acres neat and tidy.  No matter how well I do my job each Thursday - it is always a mess.  Keeping Yesteryear Acres clean is like shoveling the sidewalk during a blizzard. Clean. Not clean.  Clean. Not Clean. Our house gets vacuumed more than any other house - yet - it is always messy.  A house full of doodle doggies and puppies will do that!  It is easier to just accept the fact that although Yesteryear Acres rarely sparkles with cleanliness.....it sparkles with happiness.  Every Thursday night for one brief moment - I get to look around and ahhhhhhh everything is clean.  I usually have that awesome YAY IT IS SO CLEAN moment for about 5 minutes. Then Mr. Yesteryear Acres comes in with dirty boots or my son comes in and has a parade of doodle doggies following him.  Every Thursday it is always, "Ahhhh.....  So nice and clean!!!" Followed by, "Well that was nice while it lasted." At least I know I always have something to do! Today I was extra busy cleaning AND I have to say - I made the most awesome dinner which was a lovely way to end the day.  I made Roasted Butternut Squash with Sundried Tomatoes from the garden over Angel Hair Pasta and I topped it all with toasted Pumpkin Seeds.  Mmmmm!  It was sooooo good! I made the recipe up and it turned out perfectly so I decided to try to make a new bread recipe as well.  I made a loaf of Flax Seed & Pumpkin Seed Bread with Greek yogurt. It was so moist and flavorful and it had the delicious crunchy seeds of goodness which made it SO GOOD.  I am going to have to add both recipes to my collection.......that is right after I vacuum the kitchen.......again! Clean!  Not Clean! Clean!

Listen to the Whispers

Life is made up of just a handful of big special moments that are those "once in a lifetime" events. Graduations, births, weddings, death.....they are the big markers in one's life. A lot of people live for the big things.  I can't wait for "________"  or there are only 78 more days until "________".  The thing is - those big events are just a drop in the bucket of life.  If you add all of the major events up - they will be a mere blink of an eye.  Life is so much more than those major events.  Life is what happens in between.  The small whispers that happen every day.  I can tell you that I appreciate each and every whisper. When my son comes home from school and plops down on the chair to tell me about his day, I love that moment.  When Mr. Yesteryear Acres thinks to bring home cream for my coffee without me even asking, I love that moment. When my brother-in-law starts a video chat with me just to say "How are you doing?" or when Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son sit with me just to keep me company while I watch a ridiculously bad TV show that I know they cannot stand, I know love is all around me.  When I see my horses run across the field, have a doodle doggie nudge me to give me a hug, have a picture of one of my children pop up on my computer screen, have a perfect snowflake land on my mitten - I think, "I am lucky. I am loved. Life is beautiful." If you listen to the whispers that happen every day, you are sure to find joy and beauty all around you.  Take a moment to listen. Your soul will thank you.

Walking in a Snowglobe

The snow was so pretty yesterday that I decided instead of walking on my treadmill, in the comfort of my warm house, I would put on my snow gear and walk outside.  It was a great decision.  The snow was falling during my entire walk and it felt as though I were walking in a snowglobe.  I really love winter and taking the time out of my day to appreciate the beauty of our snowy Yesteryear Acres was definitely a highlight. I got my exercise in AND got to be surrounded by my winter wonderland.

This is back by our garden

Hard to imagine that in just 3 more months, over 100 tomato plants will be in the ground

Our pond

Even though I am stopping to take lots of pictures....I am totally getting my workout in!  

Only one small spot in the pond is still not frozen

Our horses running up to see Mr. Yesteryear Acres

And this is what was waiting for me back by the house.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres is always leaving love notes in the snow for me.  This was a "Good Workout Loveshine".  Awwww. Best reward of all!

Doodle Babies...Awwwww

Happy Snowy Monday!  Yesteryear Acres is completely blanketed in deep snow and the snow just keeps falling. It is BEAUTIFUL outside.  The sweet doodle babies and I are inside, where it is warm and cozy, enjoying watching the snow fall. A mug of hot chocolate, adorable doodle babies, snow-filled day .... pretty much perfect!!!!
Here are this week's puppy pictures:

Olive's Sweet Caramel and Chocolate Doodle Babies

are here! We have 10 new babies to love.

 

Who doesn't love Chocolate and Caramel?  

Perfect Combination!

Olive is taking such good care of them and they are just as sweet as can be.

Eloise's Double Doodle puppies are just starting to open their eyes.

They say - snuggling on a cold snowy Monday is what Mondays are made for!

Happy Monday!