And then it hit me

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

Busy Busy Me!

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

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

Rain Rain Go Away

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

Happy Pi Day!

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

Mom weekend

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

Facebook Appreciation

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

HO HO HO

So where's Santa? I mean it certainly must be Christmas time and not 11 days before Spring begins, because this is what I saw when I woke up this morning.....

Yes, our torrential flooding rains turned into an overnight snowfall changing our backyard into a winter wonderland. I honestly don't know what to wear each morning - Genuine yellow fisherman rain suits complete with hip boots or down-filled snow parkas. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were up by 6:00am and we gave a "WOW" like the little kid from "A Christmas Story".  It was really pretty outside.

You can't even tell that under the beautiful snow is about 3 feet of muddy soupy gushy sinking mud pits.  We both took a moment to admire the beauty of nature.

Every finger of every branch was filled with white snow and we at once felt renewed and refreshed. I felt as if winter was saying, don't forget about me.  Don't forget how beautiful I am. Don't forget to appreciate me and your love for the beauty of a winter landscape. After having weeks of nothing but mud and rain, the whiteness and peacefulness of the snow was a welcome sight. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I sipped our coffee together and gazed out the window, knowing it would soon be gone, and grateful for the glorious artwork right outside our door.

OOOH SO FUN!

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

One Year of Blogging

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

What? No rain?

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

Maybe I should just become a Vegetarian

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

Um well, no son, I wouldn't. 

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

No, I wouldn't eat a Giraffe.

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

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

"What about Water Buffalo?"

No.

"What about Cape Buffalo"

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

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

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

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

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

"How about a..."

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

"Sooooo you don't care about plants?"

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

Why Hello Snow

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

Do you know what time it is???

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

Friendliest Doggie on the Planet

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

Small Packets of Smiles

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

Mission Accomplished

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

12 Straight Hours

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

Oscar Hoopla

So all the hoopla and excitement of the Oscars has now officially come to a close.  Being a dedicated puppy raiser - I hardly ever get to go out to the movie theater and instead must wait to watch movies at home on DVD.... hence - my large and dearly beloved DVD collection. I am always excited on new release Tuesday to see what new movie has come out on DVD and then eagerly anticipate watching it from the comfort of my living room. I get the added benefit of having a furry puppy or two to keep me company, so my movie viewing is always a good time for a snuggle fest. Despite the fact that we haven't yet seen any of this year's nominated movies, as always, we faithfully watch the Oscars. I absolutely must see what all the stars are wearing!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres always jokes that the next day I can see the entire Oscar show in a concise 5 minute wrap up on the morning news - but that is CHEATING!  You must endure the hours and hours of Oscar awards to prove your movie worthiness.  Last night's Oscars were a bit drawn out. I can't say I particularly enjoyed the hosting - but the clothes were delightful and it made me even more eager to watch the King's Speech.  It looks like a fantastic film. It won't be released on DVD until mid-April so I guess I will just have to be patient until then.  There were a few more movies that looked exceptional so my movie wish list is now complete. Guess I better stock up on popcorn for this Spring's movie festival.  The puppies and I have a lot of catching up to do!

What Else.....Puppy work of course!

Since I was sucked into the American Idol time warp yesterday, I had to work doubly hard today to make up for lost time. Luckily it couldn't have been any nicer outside so a little bit of Spring Fever was in the air and working all day wasn't too bad. I did tons of housework, made fresh baked potato rolls, helped my daughter with some college planning, and I am happy to report that I got all new puppy pictures taken and of course - they are adorable.  Roxy's puppies are now eating solid foods and even though they are making a huge mess, some food is actually making it inside their tummies.  Most of it still gets licked off by their mommy which is great fun for them and deliciously fun for Roxy. Fiona's puppies haven't quite gotten the hang of solid foods.  They mostly walk through the gruel and get it everywhere. I mean everywhere. Paws, noses, ears, muzzles, legs - you name it.  Fiona is ever so attentive and licks up every messy drop.  By next weekend they should be pros. We also have some newborn babies!  Lola delivered her sweet bundle of double doodle puppies.We now officially have a full house of puppy happiness!  Look how sweet the newborns are:

Tomorrow I will get all the new pictures published to the website. There are tons of cute ones to see! Doing puppy work all day long is not a bad way to spend the day.  I get to be home.  I get tons of puppy kisses and hugs. I get to stay in comfy clothes AND I get surprises. Look what was waiting for me in the kitchen this afternoon:

My daughter made me a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and added real passion fruit to the drink. Mmmmmm!  She said it was a treat for working so hard.  I am too lucky!  Puppy Love and yummy juice! Just the right recipe for a perfect Sunday!

I am an Official Junkie

I promise I don't live in a cave. I keep up on daily events, read the newspaper and watch TV. What I have never seen however, not once, not even one episode is..... American Idol. I realize that this is probably shocking to most people given the ridiculously high ratings and Internet buzz and office gossip about American Idol. It seems as though almost everyone watches it but, alas I have not.  That is...until I walked by the living room and my daughter had it on and there was a man singing with a bass and WOW he was amazing!  I stopped dead in my tracks and listened with the biggest grin on my face. I was hooked instantly. My daughter had recorded several episodes of the newest season and we were both really tired from our trip so yes,  I have to admit -that today - my productivity level was ZERO. ZERO!  I started watching the show with her and suddenly I had 3-4 favorites that just blew me away and I needed to know if they made it to the next round. I mean I NEEDED to know. I couldn't walk away without knowing whether the bass player made it.  I couldn't leave without seeing if my favorite soft spoken singer was going to go on. In ONE afternoon - I became an American Idol junkie! How can this happen? How can an entire afternoon slip away JUST LIKE THAT?  What has happened to me? I have lived for 10 seasons with nary a glance at that show and now our recorder is set to record every single second of the rest of the season. My daughter and I have pledged to watch all of them together. I guess it comes down to - appreciating and loving real musical talent. There were a few singers that truly gave me goosebumps. I think I hardly took a breath during their performances.  So much talent! I just love hearing someone who is naturally gifted and has so much voice inside of them. It is inspiring. I can see why people watch.  I will admit that I loved it.  I will admit that I am already addicted and can't wait for next week's singing. However, I know I will NOT vote.   I mean that is obsessive right? Calling some number and voting again and again.  That is a time waster. That will not be me. No way.  I mean - the Bass player and the soft spoken singer guy and the kid with the pipes HAVE to make it....right?! Hmmm....now what is that number?

Wow!

This morning we awoke to a blanket of white. I was so glad my daughter and I chose to get a hotel so close to the University. Despite the fact we were less than one mile from the University we barely made it on time because our car turned into a snow covered carsicle overnight. The inch of rain we got yesterday was followed by a massive dumping of sleet and snow this morning. There were 449 other brave students that showed up for the accepted student day. We were greeted with warm apple pastries and hot steaming coffee so you know the day started out just right. I have to say my expectations were very high. I wanted to be WOWed. I wanted to feel goosebumps of excitement. I wanted to feel that when I left my daughter standing at the gates of the college I would feel nothing but happiness for her and her new adventure. In my opinion there were big shoes to fill on this college visit and maybe, just maybe, I went feeling a little doubtful that this could be accomplished. Well I am happy to report my expectations were not only met, but in many ways my expectations were exceeded. The professors were wonderful. We were lucky enough to spend several hours with the professors from the science department. The Botany professor made me want to take Botany. The Epidemiology professor made me want to take classes in Epidemiology. The Zoology professor was so warm and friendly and interesting; it was hard to say goodbye. The professors really made you feel like you were welcome friends that they have known for a long time. My daughter felt exactly the same way. She thought the professors were amazing. I think she was the most surprised when after talking to the statistics professor she was eagerly looking forward to taking her required statistics class. The campus was beautiful, the students were helpful and friendly, the food was delicious, and the whole day couldn't be better. If we decide to participate in another accepted student college day, the shoes THAT college would have to fill would be mighty big indeed. The reality of my daughter's departure for college is seemingly just around the corner but now instead of being a big scary unknown, it is a comforting exciting adventure that she can't wait to begin. 

I hope it is a perfect fit

Even though clearly I am supposed to be locked away upstairs diligently working on taxes - I am not. I have a good excuse though! After dinner tonight my younger daughter and I are driving to a hotel and then first thing tomorrow morning we have an "official accepted students" tour at one of the colleges she is considering. While we await word from the other "dream colleges" as to whether she has been accepted or not - we do have one super college that has already let us know that "YES we would love to have you attend!" The college is hosting an all day event tomorrow and I am ready to be "WOWed". I really hope I get the "wow" factor.  This will be my very first official accepted student tour of a college that is NOT a service academy.  To compare a service academy to a civilian college is not at all fair because really they are so different. The campuses are different, the classes are different, the students are different and certainly the mission is different. I have so much respect for the service academies and all the students that attend them. They are really stellar places of higher learning. And so tomorrow - new place. New ideas. New ebb and flow. I am going with a very open mind and I am eager to see just what goes on at a civilian college and how it might be a perfect fit for my daughter. I want her to love where she will be going to college no matter which college she ultimately chooses. I want it to fit her like the most perfect glove. I know she has high expectations for tomorrow so I have a lot of hopeful feelings for both of us.  We will be treated to a tour of the zoology department and get to sit in on some classes. I am sure that will be the highlight of the entire trip as the zoology department is supposed to be top notch. My overnight bag is packed. My GPS is loaded with our destination. I have a batch of beef stroganoff slowly simmering on the stove for a delicious meal before we depart. My blog is written. My emails are answered. I am ready for the college zoology, biology, icthyology, ornithology, mammalogy, parasitology, entomology, ecology and all other ology adventure.

And I thought I was Awesome!

Early this morning I dragged myself upstairs and spent the majority of the day locked upstairs in the computer room surrounded by mountains of paperwork and receipts and more paperwork and more receipts. I have earnestly begun the dreaded taxes. Evidently - the notion that "I AM SO AWESOME" because I did my FAFSA paperwork immediately at the beginning of the year - is incorrect. I "AM" awesome because on January 2nd I completed my FAFSA paperwork so that my younger daughter could get a financial aid package from the college of her choice. I am NOT AT ALL AWESOME because in order for FAFSA to be valid - you have to have already completed AND FILED your 2010 taxes. So all this time I was under the impression that I was awesome and all done with financial aid paperwork and amazing for being so timely when in fact I might as well not have filled out the financial aid forms at all. I have received numerous letters from the various colleges letting me know that NO I am NOT awesome. *sigh*  I am a complete and total novice when it comes to navigating the financial aid waters and evidently I am failing in that regard.  I don't like doing taxes. I really don't like paying taxes and what's more - I don't like being forced to do my taxes early in order to PERHAPS get a decent financial aid package for a college that MIGHT accept my daughter. Grrrrr. It would be so much nicer if let's say - a huge bouquet of balloons arrived and attached to the gigantic balloon bouquet was a lovely hand-painted scroll that was hand delivered by a lovely thoughtful man in a tuxedo and when he reads the scroll aloud he says, "DEAREST COLLEGE BOUND STUDENT - YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO THE COLLEGE OF YOUR DREAMS!!!!" and THEN at THAT moment he could hand me the very small print that says, "Please fill out the financial aid paperwork that is very long and very boring and ultimately tedious in length BUT in exchange we will promise you oodles of scholarship money and grants. Sincerely, The College of Your Dreams." But instead - I get the "We are NOT going to tell you whether you have been accepted to the College of Your Dreams yet. In addition, you must fill out ALL this paperwork and send triplicate copies of every piece of paper you own and sign them and notarize them and take a blood oath and then fax them and email them and snail mail them in just the right size envelope and then MAYBE just MAYBE in another month or so, we will let you know if you have been accepted. Sincerely, the Financial Aid,  Paper Loving, Number Crunching Offices."  UGH! So yes, of course, I am upstairs working diligently on the finances. Yes, of course, I WILL get this all done ASAP. And yes OF COURSE, I am still stalking my mail carrier for news of where my younger daughter will be heading this fall. Until then, please send band-aids. I feel mass quantities of paper cuts are in my near future.

2 Hour Delay...2 Hours Extra sleep!

OOOH thank you Mr. Winter. It was so nice of you to make a reappearance this weekend.  You made my daughter's plane delayed so she could stay home longer, you made my backyard all pretty and white, you covered up all the mud and dirty yucky puddles and you made the roads WAY too slippery for school to start on time. Everyone got an extra 2 hours of sleep this morning! It was heavenly. Even the Naval Academy called for a 2 hour delay! It was a gift of sleep for all and an extra nice way to start the day. Everyone was smiling as the happiness of our fun weekend was still with us.  As soon as the kids were out the door, I got to work on the website and uploaded all the new photos.  We have brand new little babies:

And Snuggly Sleepy Goldendoodle Babies

And Curly Little Polar Bear Doodle Babies

The house is full of sweet little happy puppies and well rested family members and a beautiful snow covered world outside. I have homemade Oatmeal Honey rolls rising in the oven and Cream of Yukon Gold Potato Soup simmering on the stove. I think we are doing Winter - Take 2 - just right!

Delays

Delays can be so frustrating. They can ruin an entire day especially when you have everything planned out exactly and all of the sudden your carefully laid plans have to be thrown out the window. Today our plans got thrown out the window but instead of sadness and frustration - cheers and hoorays filled the air.  My daughter's flight back to the Naval Academy was delayed today. And then delayed some more. YEA!  It was like we were given the gift of an entire day together.  We expected our daughter to leave early - so our carefully laid plans were to get up, eat quickly and get out the door.  Now we were given a leisurely breakfast AND lunch! We were given time for coffee and fun. We were given family time - the best gift of all! We set aside our work plans and all hung out together, giddy with the extra time we had. We couldn't have enjoyed our President's Day more.  It was so unexpected and definitely most appreciated.  When our time together came to an end and I had to drive my daughter back to the airport the usual gloom and doom over her leaving was absent. We were all still smiling due to the flight delay. Even as I hugged her good-bye at the airport, I still felt so lucky to have had her for the afternoon that my eyes didn't fill with tears. She felt the same way. We had full and happy hearts. We filled every space of our weekend together and loved every minute. Tomorrow we will all be ready for the work-filled week. My list of things to do is a mile long and I am up for the task. First thing on the list - PUPPY PICTURES!  I had hoped to get them all published to the website today, but one delay trickled down to another delay which trickled down to setting aside the webpage until tomorrow morning. For today - I would like to give my deepest thanks for my day of delays. It was the best President's Day - airline flight delay - ever.

Party For Five

Today was a day spent hanging around the house. Ahhhhh. No concrete slabs for sitting. No dressing rooms for zipping. Home sweet home all day long. Of course despite the fact we were home all day, didn't mean the day was spent doing nothing. We don't have very many of those days in a year.  There is always work to be done and today was no exception.  My older daughter is only home for the day so we planned on doing some fun things together. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I got up early and took care of all the puppies and took new pictures of our adorable babies.  I plan on getting them all posted to the website tomorrow.  They just keep getting cuter every day! It took about an hour to get all the new pictures done and they look like they all turned out great.  I am excited to get them all organized and published.  It is fun to share all the cuteness!!!! After the puppies were all snuggled back in their beds, I started working on dinner.  My older daughter requested homemade pot pie, and since I make it completely from scratch, it takes a good portion of the day to get it all put together. Roasted chicken - check. Roasted potatoes - check. Fresh sweet corn - check. Green beans from the garden - check. Petite peas - check. Homemade chicken stock, cream sauce, pie shells - check, check check.  One deep dish savory delicious Chicken Pot Pie - CHECK!  The best part of the entire meal???? I had it ready to serve at 5:00pm sharp and EVERYONE was ready!  We had all decided to have a really early dinner so we could do some fun family things tonight and for once, it all worked out! Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son got all the chores done and were back in the house around 4pm this afternoon. The feasting began shortly thereafter and the rest of the night will be spent having fun. I can't wait.  Party for five starts now.

14 Hours and 34 minutes later

I am home. I am tired. I am sore and exhausted. My toes are tired. My feet are tired. My back is totally wiped out.  I even have a blister....on my FINGER! What brought on this total exhaustion?????  DRESS SHOPPING. Oh my goodness.  My older daughter was granted leave from the Naval Academy for the weekend and came home late last night. Bright and early this morning, the girls and I headed out the door. Our mission - One Prom dress for my younger daughter and one Ring Dance Dress for my older daughter.  At the end of the 2C or "Junior Year" at the Naval Academy there is a very formal dance called the "Ring Dance" where the midshipmen dip their class rings in water from the seven seas and then get to wear their rings. It is a significant event and a most formal affair.  So today we headed off to find the perfect formal gowns.  In case you are wondering - this is NO easy task. Both of my girls have completely different tastes and both want my opinion at the same time and both want me to zip their dresses at the same time and both want their mommy at the same time. We went to every store. They tried on every dress. I think I zipped up at least 500 dresses today!  Hence the blister on my finger!  I was on my feet all day long and zipped and zipped and zipped and zipped.  My mom ended up meeting us and she also zipped and zipped and zipped.  We left no dress behind.  In the end - my older daughter found the perfect Ring Dance dress. It fits her perfectly and is SO beautiful! She looks amazing in it.  My younger daughter found the perfect prom dress. It fits her perfectly and is SO beautiful. She looks amazing in it.  They will both be the belle of the ball when their events roll around.  And for me.....well I am crawling and I do mean crawling into bed. I am fairly certain I will be sound asleep before my head hits the pillow and I will sleep happy in the thoughts that both my girls will be dreaming of their perfect dresses.

Swim Little Fishy

Ahhhh the sweet joy of sitting for 6 hours straight on concrete bleachers. What is more fun or more joyous than one's butt firmly plastered to a concrete slab? I believe my back is acutely aware of every passing second of every passing minute of every passing hour. I am sooo sore but it was so worth it. Today was the big District Swim Meet at Ohio State University. The entire natatorium was packed. It was so packed that one's butt cheeks barely fit on the bleachers and there was absolutely no elbow room. It is quite interesting to watch all the different kinds of spectators/parents at the swim meet. You have the yellers, the whistlers, the whooping and hollerers, the nail biters and the head shakers. You always see some parents that are  bitterly disappointed no matter what time their swimmer placed. I feel sorry for them. Me - well I am the kind of parent that sits and smiles. I smile with as much enthusiasm as I have and never really care what the time clock displays. My question is always - "Did you have fun?" "Did you go out there for the love of the sport?"  "Did you do your best?" And invariably the answer is always "Yes" so I smile some more. I say, "I am so proud of you." I say, "I am SO glad I got to see you!" And what do I get in return? Well I get smiles back! I get waves hello and happy faces and thanks for coming.  I am always grateful that I have children that compete fairly and honestly and are kind and respectful to their teammates, coaches, and their opponents. How could any parent ask for more? Today my daughter swam her heart out. Before the race even began I took a moment to reflect how lucky we were to be there. I looked at my daughter way down on the pool deck and she looked back at me and we both gave each other the look. The look that said, you made it! We are here! The look that said we love each other and here goes the very last swim meet of your entire high school career. So go out there. Go out there swimming with a big smile. Go out there and do your best because no matter what... No matter how you finish....I will never be more proud than this moment, right here, right now, even before your feet hit the water. So swim Little Fishy Swim! And she did. And she swam faster than she ever swam in her life. And I smiled, with the exact same smile I had when she hit the water. The second she finished she looked right at me and we smiled together. Good job my little fishy. I have loved every swim stroke of every event of every meet. 

What a difference a week makes

One week ago we had temperatures below zero. The fields were covered in snow and ice and our sidewalks were mere tunnels carved out of the huge ice blocks that surrounded them.  Going outside meant - long sleeves, fleece socks, gloves, scarves, hats, parkas, heat warmers - the works.  The cars needed to warm up for about 15 minutes just to reach the freezing mark. Winter had left its cold bitter path and we were completely encased by its frigid temperatures and snow swept landscapes. Today.....the birds are out. The grass is showing.  A light jacket is all one needs to step outdoors.  No parkas.  No scarves and mittens. No ice scrapers. Actual, for real, honest to goodness shoes can be worn! It is 70* warmer today than last week. 70*!!!  This evening as darkness fell, a painter's palette of cloud brushstrokes filled the sky. I ran to get my camera and missed the peak display but it was still beautiful.

The entire sky was covered in brushstrokes. It was really so peaceful and lovely.  We all stopped what we were doing to admire nature's masterpiece.
The only creatures not to notice the spectacular art show were the deer.

They couldn't believe their luck. GRASS, GRASS and more GRASS! I don't think they have seen real grass for over 2 solid months.  They grazed the entire late afternoon.  To think that just a few days ago, my son was cross-country skiing across the fields is almost impossible to believe. All that snow disappeared right before our eyes. We all stayed outside and admired the sunset.  We got a wonderful display of colors and it was a nice change to be free from teeth chattering. The sky slowly faded from white brushstrokes, to pink brushstrokes to an entire pink sky:

As the sky slowly turned a deep red, we all headed back to the house.  Happy and warm with thoughts of spring.

OUCH!!!

My younger daughter is battling a rather yucky infected thumb laceration.  We have been soaking it in Epsom Salts and applying Neosporin daily but it is taking a little time to heal.  The other night my in-laws were over for dinner and Amelia's thumb injury was brought up. I did not know that the topic of one single thumb injury could turn into an entire dinner conversation but of course, here at Yesteryear Acres, it did.  I believe it all started when I said that kids today have it SOOOO easy with their little cuts and wounds.  Neosporin was NOT around back when I was little.  No sir! We didn't have some clear gel that was completely painless.  We didn't have cute little Band-aids or antibiotic creams or all the other wimpy products on the market today.  We had....MERTHIOLATE!  Mercurochrome! Monkey Blood! Liquid Fire! I DO NOT HAVE A CUT ANYWHERE I PROMISE! Bottle of bright orange/red Pain Inducing Misery! If you ever wonder what it would feel like to put liquid acid of fire right onto your cut, just use one glass dropper full of Merthiolate and you will know what TRUE PAIN is!!!  My mom loved the stuff. It was the only thing we had in the house. It came in a brown bottle with a glass dropper and just thinking about it could bring an instant flood of tears to my eyes. If we had a paper cut - Merthiolate. If we had a blister - Merthiolate. My sister and I would do all we could to hide any cuts we might have.  I remember one time cutting open my knee and insisted on wearing pants for days on end.  I believe my knee turned several shades of yellow and green oozy liquid, but even fear of losing my entire leg due to a raging infection was not enough for me to tell my mom.  Because if she even got a hint that I had a gaping wound on my knee - out would come the Merthiolate. AAAAAAHHHH!  It burned SO badly!!! It was the worst thing in the entire world! As I was sharing my greatest fear of the dreaded Merthiolate, my mother-in-law just laughed. And by laughing, I mean almost rolling on the floor.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres was in full agreement with me.  He said almost word for word what I said about hiding any injury because of the intense fear of the MONKEY BLOOD treatment.  All the while my mother-in-law just laughed.  I bet my mom is laughing right now too.  I bet she can't even stop laughing thinking about how many times she used that on my sister and I, just like my mother-in-law used it on Mr. Yesteryear Acres.  The only coherent thing I could get out of my mother-in-law was "Well it worked!" I suppose that is true.  It did work.  It worked so well that back in the day when we didn't have knee pads, or helmets, or safety glasses, or elbow pads - we got injured a LOT less than kids today......or at least that is what we told our parents!!!  I believe the rise in the numbers of cuts and wounds interestingly coincided with the invention of Bactine.  Bactine only stung a little.  It was like a miracle cure.  Of course we weren't lucky enough to have Bactine in our house  - but Mr. Yesteryear Acres was.  He said he clearly remembers when they made the switch. I bet he does! My kids haven't had the "pleasure" of having me pour Merthiolate on their cuts.  They got Disney Band-aids and Neosporin. Whatever will they do when they grow up? Their "Back when I was little" stories will be pathetic. I feel sooo sorry for them. Don't you?

I can read

Did you know that? Really. I can read.  I can read an entire pamphlet AND absorb the information AND understand all the fascinating facts contained within each clearly written paragraph. Evidently our local school system does not think I have the capacity to read - so tonight we had a mandatory meeting, at dinner time, that lasted over an hour, where........... the handouts were read TO us. OH! MY!  WOW!  When I read the words on the handout that said, "On March 1st, be at the school no later than 5:40am" I was so confused.  I didn't know what that meant. Be at the school? What school? 5:40am? Is that morning? Is that evening? No later than...does that mean to be on time? OH no. I was simply and hopelessly lost and confused. Lucky for me, I went to the mandatory meeting and when one of the staff members at the middle school read the words "Be at the school no later than 5:40am" OUT LOUD ...WELL a light bulb went off RIGHT THEN and I had an A HA! moment.  I knew exactly what was expected of me! I realized they meant meet at my son's school! I realized 5:40am meant bright and early in the MORNING! ON TIME! Whew! I am so glad I went tonight. I am so glad that each and every sentence in the handout was painstakingly read to me at least 100 times slower than I could read it myself because NOW I know exactly what I need to do. I wasn't at all thinking about how hungry I was.  I wasn't at all thinking about my homemade Amish Chicken and Noodles waiting for me on the stove. I wasn't thinking about my homemade buns. I wasn't thinking about dinner time at all.  I also wasn't thinking about how many times a staff member had to repeat "NO CASH will be accepted for payments" before insanity set in.  While I was clearly not thinking about the "NO CASH will be accepted for payments", I was also not in complete and total shock that after the 25th time they mentioned NO CASH, someone raised their hand and asked if they could pay in cash tonight.  Evidently the reading out loud doesn't work for everyone. I don't think reading silently would have helped either so then I am back to my original premise of WHY oh WHY did I have to go when I promise I DO know how to read????  I did make it home safely.  We did all eat a rather late dinner but Amish Chicken and Noodles is a very kind and friendly dish and it stayed nice and warm and was waiting for us all simmering on the stove when we walked in. I can't wait for the next mandatory meeting/story hour.  I just learn so much!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is a day to celebrate the ones you love.  How nice to have a holiday that says, "I just want to let you know....I love you".  Sometimes life is just so busy and hurried and days can go by without giving much thought to how much those you love mean to you. It is easy to believe that those closest to you will always be there. Valentine's Day is a day designed to make you slow down, to stop, to reflect and most importantly to let the people you love know that you care.  I am so lucky to have many Valentines in my life.  I love them with all my heart and soul.  This morning my sweet Valentine Mr. Yesteryear Acres had my morning cup of coffee sitting on top of a cut-out heart. He even used pink paper to make my homemade valentine.  His valentine made my heart smile. He also made a HUGE snowheart out on our back hill.  He walked up and down several times to carve out a big heart in our snow covered hill. He makes a snow heart for me every winter.  I love that about him. I love a lot of things about him but most of all, I love the fact that he loves me. Just the way I am. I think there is nothing so wonderful, so special, so fulfilling than to know you are loved. Unconditionally.  With a love like that - anything is possible. Even though I see Mr. Yesteryear Acres every single day - I never forget to think about him, to appreciate him, to love him. I think this quote by Claudia Ghandi says it all, "If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden." I think we should all walk in an endless flower garden filled with the memories, love, gratitude and joy we have for our loved ones. Happy Valentine's Day. 

Refresh...nope. Refresh...nope. Refresh...YAY

The first thing we did this morning was to load the swim meet qualifying website to see if my daughter qualified for Districts.  No results were posted.  The next thing we did was to hit "refresh" on the swim website....no results.  The next 250 things we did was to keep hitting "refresh" on the swim website to STILL see no results.  If you are wondering whether we are very good at clicking "refresh" the answer is, "why yes we are!"  Finally late this afternoon the long anticipated link appeared!  With nervous apprehension we clicked on the 2011 Central District Swimming and Diving Championship Qualifiers and YES!  There was her name.  She made it in all four of her events!  Of course we are all so excited.  Now she can add a fourth District Qualifier patch to her letterman jacket and she has one last chance to break the school record.  She is SOOOOO close.  The pool at The Ohio State University is wonderful so she really has a chance this Friday.  Menu for the week?  Carbs, Carbs, and more Carbs, fresh squeezed juices and extra fluids each day and lots of rest.  The District swim meet at OSU will most likely be her last swim meet of high school. Only the very best and lightning fast swimmers go onto compete at the State Championship and although my daughter is a great swimmer - states is a very long stretch. So Friday is the big day.  I think I might have to make some homemade pasta for her.  I mean what better carbs could there be than a big bowl of homemade mommy pasta?  I better get out the pasta drying racks - - I feel like I may be singing "O Sole Mio" all day tomorrow!

Sectionals

Today was a really special day.  I was up and out the door early this morning.  I picked up my dear neighbor Wilma and we headed off to see Amelia swim at the Sectional swim meet. Wilma has never gone to a swim meet before and really wanted to see Amelia swim before it was too late and Amelia was away at college.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres made Wilma a big mug of hot chocolate and I had a delicious cup of coffee so we were all set for our road trip. We talked the whole way about life and love and the choices one makes to truly lead a happy life.  Wilma is a wealth of knowledge and she and her husband had been happily married for almost 65 years before he passed away last fall.  I still miss him almost every day.  He was the kindest man and Wilma is just the dearest person ever. She has kept a diary since she was 16 years old.  She writes in it every day without fail and in doing so, she remembers almost everything.  She said the best part about keeping a diary was that she was always right in winning an argument about what happened when.  Her husband Paul said he never had a chance.  Everything was in that diary - so he already knew he lost the bet before it had even started.  Wilma had been encouraging me for years to keep a diary so that I would remember all the little things in life when I got older. Today I told her that it was just a little over 3 weeks away from my online blog/diary being one year old.  She was really proud of me for faithfully writing every day.  Anytime I think I am too tired to write my blog or perhaps can't think of anything to write, I think of Wilma.  If she can keep a diary every day for the past 68 years, I certainly can muster up enough energy to write mine.  She is an inspiration and I love looking at her diary with her to see how things were way back when she was younger.  The cost of living has sure changed dramatically - but the things that make one truly happy haven't changed at all.  The essential pieces of a happy life are still exactly the same now as they were back in the late 1920's. We both agreed that we were so lucky to have found our forever love so young in life and we both have lived our lives feeling eternally grateful for that and all the blessings that have followed.  Our time alone today just chatting in the car was really touching. She is a remarkable woman. When we arrived at the meet my daughter was so excited to see Wilma.  It made her day even better.  Everyone on her team swam so well today.  They gave everything they had and left every ounce of effort in the water.  Amelia swam her very best times of her entire life and earned points for her team. Now we have to patiently wait for the results.  All the sectional times have to be tallied and accounted for and sometime tomorrow, we will find out if she swam fast enough to qualify for Districts.  We will probably hit "refresh" over 1000 times on the District swim qualifiers website anxiously awaiting for the results to finally be published. If she qualifies for Districts, we get to go to The Ohio State University next week for the big District swim meet. I think I might need to bring Wilma along again.  Amelia and I think she is our lucky charm....both at swim meets... and in life.

21!

Today is my older daughter's 21st birthday. 21 years since the day she arrived into this bright beautiful world of ours.  For the past 21 years, she has brought me nothing but overwhelmingly proud moments and complete joy. My sweet Abigail is one of the most persistent, honest, driven, dedicated, moral, stubborn, and devoted people I know. She has the strongest moral compass and without failing always does the right thing. She does the right thing when all around her, a different path has been chosen. She does the right thing when it costs her personally. She does the right thing when no one is looking. She has the most unbelievable sense of right and wrong and is driven to live her life with integrity.  She stands up for those around her as much as she stands up for her own beliefs.  When she was a senior in high school and told me that she wanted to go to the Naval Academy - I knew right then and there - she would be going.  Her sense of honor is held to a higher standard than most and the Navy is certainly lucky to have her. I know she will go on to do great things during her service. Today marks a huge milestone for her. She can now hang out with her friends on the weekend. She will be blessed with a little more freedom and a little more time to relax.  The actual "drinking age" means little to her but the opportunity to hang out with all her friends that are legal, to be able to go to the restaurants and weekend hangouts with them with no restrictions - well that is a birthday present in itself. That is the very best part of her birthday. Finally after 21 long years, she can go out and have fun with her friends and not be left behind because she refuses to bend any rules. So Happy Birthday my sweet Abigail. I love you so much. You are an inspiration to me and to your family. You continue to persevere and make us proud every single day.  Whenever I think of you - I smile and my heart overflows with gratitude and love for all that you have brought to me, to your dad, to your sister, to your brother, to your fellow midshipmen and to your country. I hope your birthday is the best birthday yet! Have fun! Enjoy! Celebrate!  No one deserves it more!!!!

DON'T put THAT in there!

I am a really good cook.  I make super delicious meals and I cook almost every day. It is a passion of mine and I really enjoy it.  Other people seem to really enjoy it too!  I am super lucky because Mr. Yesteryear Acres is also a really excellent chef.  He makes the most mouth watering dishes.  That is where our similarities end.  I make things that people have heard of.  I am not that creative.  If I make a roasted chicken - it is just that - a roasted chicken. It is delicious but you won't find me putting something you have never thought of into the roasted chicken dish.  You will get exactly what you expected. Mr. Yesteryear Acres however goes out of his way to add the unusual.  To think of things no one has ever thought of before.  If he is in the kitchen whipping up a masterpiece, you will undoubtedly hear me say, "DON'T put THAT in there!!!"  He comes up with the most crazy concoctions ever.  And of course - every single time - it works.  It is always delicious.  I mean REALLY delicious.  It isn't what you think it is going to be - but instead it is even better. Some of the most delicious things I have ever eaten have been prepared by my sweet Mr. Yesteryear Acres.  His latest concoction was....salad.  Yep. Salad.  I made a delicious pasta with fresh asparagus and some roasted garlic bread and his job was the salad.  I walked into the kitchen and he had some olive oil sauteing in a pan and was adding some of his flare to the oil.  In a bowl was freshly crumbled blue cheese. The next thing I knew, Mr. Yesteryear Acres grabbed the cherry tomatoes and threw them into the hot steaming oil.  I screamed, "DON'T put THAT in THERE!!!!" but it was too late.  The tomatoes were sizzling within seconds. Next he added a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice and gave everything a quick toss and dumped the hot steaming tomato concoction onto the crumbled blue cheese.  The chopped romaine lettuce went on top and then he quickly tossed everything together and topped the salad with some coarse sea salt. OH MY GOODNESS! It was without a doubt the best salad ever.  It eclipsed my very delicious asparagus dish.  Every bite was so good. The tomatoes popped in my mouth with extra sweet savory flavor and the hint of orange with the melted blue cheese was so good.  I licked my plate to get every drop of the dressing that was left. I will be dreaming about his salad for days. I have no idea what I am making for dinner tonight...but I am hoping a bit of DON'T PUT THAT IN THERE makes it to my plate.  I hate to admit it - but he is really that good!

15 Days

That is what the meteorologist said last night - 15 days.  That is how many days we have had since December 1st - without precipitation.  15 days where we saw something called "the sun" or at least partial views of the sun.  The rest of the days have all had snow or ice or rain or sleet or all the above. Winter is sure putting on quite the display this year. It just won't quit. Tonight it will be a whopping -13* below zero (real temperature) and warm up to something like 10*.  It is soooooo cold!!!! Yesterday while I was at the vet's office I said, "OH LOOK! IT IS SNOWING! WOW! YEAAAAAAAAA!  We haven't seen snow in SO long".  I got a lot of mean looks over that one. I think I might have brought a few people to tears.  Everyone seems to be pretty sick and tired of the winter scene.  There are a few mornings when my daughter has swim practice at 5:30am. As in - she is IN the pool swimming at 5:30 in the morning when it is bitter cold outside and dark and dreary. She usually leaves the house right at 5:10am to make it to the pool on time.  On nice days, she rolls out of bed around 4:55am and is out the door 15 minutes later. She can't remember the last time she got to "sleep in" until 4:55am.  With our lovely winter, she is up before 4:30am just to scrape all the ice and snow from her car.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres even cleans her car off before he goes to bed the night before. Slushy puddles, icy windshields, slippery sidewalks, snowdrifts, roof raking, backyards of treacherous ice - I believe we have had our fill.  Now I know it will be warm soon enough.  I know we will probably break the record this summer with the number of days the heat index is over 100*.  I know that we will all think IT IS TOO HOT! But right now....oh my does that sound SO good. I miss you Mr. Sunshine. If you wanted to bring a few smiles this way - a nice warm sunbath would sure brighten our day. I have my blanket all ready!  Scooter and I would really like to snuggle in a few sun rays for a while.  You don't even need to stay long - maybe an hour or two.  I will look for you tomorrow.  Hope to see you at my window!!!!!

Day of Worry...all ends well

Last night my sweet loveable doggie Scooter did not feel well at all.  Scooter is my constant companion.  He is my very bestest furry friend. He is Mr. Yesteryear Acres' bestest furry friend too.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres brought Scooter home as a present to me when I was recovering from a car accident.  I was hit by a drunk driver and spent months recuperating in a hospital bed.  I couldn't do anything, couldn't go to my children's events, couldn't go out, and I couldn't even play with my doggies. It was a long long long 6 months.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres brought home a tiny toy poodle that was just the right size to snuggle in my hospital bed. He named him Scooter and Scooter stayed in my bed with me every day while I got better.  He was under 2 lbs when he first arrived:

And now fully grown he weighs 6.4lbs

Last night Scooter was really sick.  We were up all night worried about him.  I don't think Mr. Yesteryear Acres or I got any sleep.  We can't imagine life without our sweet Scooter. He helps train our puppies, follows us everywhere we go and is the best companion. Scooter was in a lot of pain and his tummy was all distended so first thing this morning I ran him into the vet's office. Thankfully all the really scary things were ruled out early on.  It turns out that Scooter hurt a disc in his spine from falling on the ice.  He was in too much pain to go to the bathroom so that is why his stomach was all bloated.  Scooter is now on steroids and pain medicine and is feeling SO much better already.  He was able to go to the bathroom and can walk again - slowly - but surely.  He is on strict bed rest so that he can heal.  The vet said that I should stay in bed with him.  I asked for a prescription for that but sadly I didn't get one. I guess I still have to work but Scooter has a nice soft blanket that is on the floor and I just bring Scooter and his blanket with me from room to room.  Even though a hurt disc is awful - it isn't as awful as some of the other things it could have been and I am so grateful he will be okay!  Tonight we will all sleep cuddled up thankful that Scooter is feeling better. Thank you dear veterinarian for making my furry baby better. 

I must...go...work...upstairs

Being the typical Type A person that I am - today I worked on the plans for my daughter's graduation party. The graduation party in June. Yes, I am already thinking about June. I am weird like that. I feel like I am behind as it is already February!  Where did the time go?  I went and looked at a lovely place to have the party and worked on the menu ideas and shopping lists.  By the time June comes around - I will definitely be all set. Since I was already out and about, I then did what I have been putting off for weeks. I bought things to organize my receipts and bills and paperwork.  I am far from a great accountant.  Okay - honestly I am not even CLOSE to being an accountant.  I need to be more organized.  I need to have things filed properly.  I went and got banker's boxes and folders and wallets and labels and hopefully all the materials I need to be fully organized and ready for you know what.  The horrible word.  The word that shall not be written. The word that will be approaching in April. Ugh.  I am starting NOW.  Which is really great. Which should be rewarded.  Tomorrow I am going to work on organizing my office ALL DAY LONG.  I have scheduled tomorrow and the next day to be locked away with no sunlight and no break until I have everything organized by month and neat and tidy.  I will use my Type A personality for good. I will dedicate my Type A personality to making my office that is all the way upstairs and seldom used because I prefer working on my laptop from my very comfy reclining chair with my legs propped up and a lovely view of the backyard and the birds and the trees and the puppies and all of that to my dreary office with no view tucked upstairs BUT nonetheless - I WILL GO UP AND WORK! I will do it.  I will make it clean!  I will make it orderly! I will make it so when the dreadful month of April comes knocking, I WILL BE READY.  Okay.  Good plan.  I am prepared to do battle. OFFICE SPACE -  Here I come!

State Race

Today my son and I spent the day in the car driving the long journey home. We woke up early and packed up all our stuff before enjoying a leisurely breakfast with my daughter.  She didn't have to be back at the Naval Academy until 6pm this evening but we had a long drive ahead of us and she had a long day of homework awaiting her.  We sadly had to end our day a bit early so that we could get everything accomplished.  While driving home, my son and I had fun battling to see who would reach each state line first.  We have a game we all play in our family where you MUST be the first one to stick out your arm as far as it goes to the front windshield, so that you, are in fact, the very first one to cross the state line.  Sometimes we act very nonchalantly, as we have not a care in the world, while slowly stretching our arms out and then quick as lightning throw our arm forward so as to win at the last second.  Other times we try to engage the other person in a jaw dropping intense conversation so that they are so involved in the discussion there is no way possible they can see the upcoming State sign. Usually though it is just an all out laugh fest as everyone is keenly aware that the state sign is quickly approaching and the contest almost always ends in a tie.  No matter how many times we play it, the game never gets old.  The game never fails to elicit a laugh or huge smile.  Despite the fact that my son is 14 years old which is WAY WAY old - he is still not too old to play the State game. Driving home we pass through several states - some more than once - and we tied every time.  We tried every variation of the game, feigning boredom, looking for a lost item etc - but no one was fooled.  We arrived home safely just in time for a delicious feast prepared by the ever so thoughtful Mr. Yesteryear Acres. The second I walked in the door, oh my goodness - it smelled heavenly!  He made a crispy roasted chicken that was to die for. It was so moist and the skin was soooo crispy yummy, I had 2 helpings.  My son was in heaven as well as he missed his doggies and was enthusiastically greeted at the door with a lot of dog kisses and tail wagging. Once again, there is no place like home.

Day of Nothing

Today was spent doing.....NOTHING! My daughter got the whole day off from the Naval Academy so she and my son and I just hung out together all day long.  My son, who works all the time, didn't quite know what to do with so much free time.  By 10:33am this morning he was already wondering what to do.  He doesn't really know how to sit around and do nothing.  He works every single day without fail so an entire day off was foreign to him. He managed to fill in the empty spaces of the day with a LOT of snacking - so it ended up working out very well for him.  He can really put away the food! Thankfully I brought a ton of food with me so he was all set. His day off was much appreciated. We spent the day with no agenda. We had nothing on our "To-Do" list for the entire day. I have to say watching your son and older daughter laugh and joke and have the best time together with no worries makes for a terrific day.  The weather outside was wet and dreary. The weather inside - delightful! Tonight a bit of reality creeps back in as there is homework to do and I need to cook dinner and do some dishes - but for the day - the nothingness was completely awesome. The only real thing on my "to-do" list is ....... be with my family. And in that lies everything.