Happy White Valentine's Day!

I know I said today's blog would be all about puppy pictures but I forgot that today is Valentine's Day so I will have to make tomorrow puppy picture day. Today is WHITE VALENTINE'S DAY because IT IS SNOWING! Honest to goodness REAL snow.  Not even a whisper of snow but a veritable snowfall!  Oh my gosh - I feel like putting on my snowsuit and dancing out in the snow. If my ankle were better, I would be outside sledding! It is so beautiful outside.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I had our morning coffee together and just sat in front of the window and watched the snowfall. It was so lovely.  We had the really big snowflakes falling from the sky.  Everything is white and I just love that.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres has been calling it our White Valentine's Day. I have been enjoying every minute of it, from the soft beauty of the fresh fallen snow to the crazy antics of our doodle doggies running around tunneling through the snow making doggie snow angels.  It is the real winter day we all have waited for. My older daughter has been asking how much snow, how much snow? She wants to be home to play outside in the snow with the doggies.  I told her they wished she were home to play and make snowmen with them. This is what it looks like here at Yesteryear Acres out our backdoor -

We had great big snowflakes falling pretty much all day long. I know I am in the minority - but I LOVE SNOW!  I LOVE IT.  Everything is so beautiful.

I hope it snows the rest of the day! Mr. Yesteryear Acres wanted to be sure to make my Happy Snowy White Valentine's Day even more perfect and brought home....

FLOWERS!!!!!!

I was SO surprised!  I got a big box of chocolates too!  Oh my gosh!  If I say that this is our 27th Valentine's Day together - does that make me sound old? I have to say that in 27 Valentine Days of celebration there have not been many filled with flowers and chocolates so I was SUPER surprised.  I immediately texted my 2 daughters to tell them and they were even more surprised than I was!  I got a lot of heart texts and OMG DADDY! When I told Mr. Yesteryear Acres how surprised we all were - he was surprised.  He seems to think he does that all the time. And then he sat and thought.  And thought. And thought. And yes - well it was a long time and it was surprising! LOL.  Time has a way of kind of marching on - and we usually just say Happy Valentine's Day and have a normal day. I mean we are sincere and really appreciate the day and love spending the day together - but there isn't a lot of fanfare. Flowers and Chocolates? Oh yes please!!! So since Mr. Yesteryear Acres is now Mr. Valentines..... I decided to return the favor.  I got dressed up in my nice red dress that I got for Christmas and have been making a homemade Valentine's dinner.  I have my homemade soup simmering on the stove, I have homemade rolls rising in the oven and am in the process of making parfaits for dessert and am even cutting out little heart marshmallows for the top. I guess I will be Mrs. Valentines for the day! Happy White Valentine's Day! Hope your day is one full of love!

The Radar Is Clear!

Well I made it home safe and sound late last night.  I waited until later in the afternoon to start my drive home from Annapolis. It looked like the worst of  weather was over so I decided to take my chances. Most of the drive was pretty uneventful but there were a few places in the mountains where I thought, "WHY DID I DO THIS?!"  I hate it when there is just one lane BARELY open and you have to keep your tires right in the tracks and you can't see anything except the tail lights of the car in front of you.  It was snowing really hard and was SO WINDY.  Oh my gosh. I needed 2 hands on the wheel the entire drive. The semi-trucks were really having to struggle. While I was making the harrowing mountain drive home, Mr. Yesteryear Acres called and said, "The radar is clear! You have no snow!"  I let him know that I was behind a parade of 6 snowplows and it was snowing so hard I couldn't see the sides of the road.  He said that can't be right - the radar is clear! It isn't snowing there! I politely let him know that:
1) No one drives 25 mph on a freeway unless maybe...IT IS SNOWING
2) No one follows 6 SNOW plows on the freeway unless maybe....IT IS SNOWING
3) No one has their windshield wipers on full speed unless maybe ..... IT IS SNOWING
4) No one uses ALL their windshield wiper fluid to clean off the salt and slush unless maybe....IT IS SNOWING
5) No one sits in a car with wet slushy snowy boots unless perhaps they got out of the car to pump more gas and there was about 6+ inches of pure snow/slush on the ground because maybe just maybe......IT IS SNOWING
6) No one adds 2+ hours of driving time to their route, because they are driving so slowly, because they have to follow a snowplow, because they can't see, because there is so much snow UNLESS MAYBE IT IS SNOWING
I think he finally got the picture at number 3 - but I kept going.  I like to make a point. Even though it was super late when I got home, I made it and was greeted by a lot of furry kisses and hugs.  I have some AWESOME new puppy pictures that I posted to the website.  I will post them on tomorrow's blog.  You won't believe how much they have grown!  They are adorable.  And just remember - Even if the radar says it isn't snowing in the mountains, if your wife is driving in the snow - it is probably SNOWING!

Snowbound

I woke up this morning to a blanket of white.  It is SO windy and my route home doesn't look too promising.  There is a winter storm warning with lots of snow, ice and very high winds. Hmmmm. I did this once.  Back in 2010,  I made a trip to see my daughter on her birthday in a blizzard.  It was a real legitimate blizzard with cars stuck on the road for 13+ hours and trucks jack-knifed everywhere. It was the scariest drive I have ever had to make. I promised myself I would never do it again. So now I am forced to figure out whether I want to brave the mountain drive back home today. Ice. Snow. High Winds. Hmmm. At least there isn't a blizzard warning. Normally, I would have already been on the road by now but I am stalling in the hopes the roads get plowed. I just checked again and e highway warning system still say both the slow and fast lanes are snow and ice covered and the warning is still in effect. Argh. Well I guess I will wait another hour and MAYBE the sun will come out and the snow will all melt away.  I can hope anyway!

MIdshipman Weekend!

One of the nicest things about being a mom of a Naval Academy midshipmen is that you get to meet and make friends with the nicest people. The midshipmen that go to the Naval Academy are just about the kindest, smartest and most devoted and selfless students you will ever meet on any college campus. They are polite, funny, and so much fun to hang out with. I always feel honored to be in their presence.  As a huge bonus, the parents of those midshipmen are equally awesome.  This weekend I have had such a great time hanging out with the most awesome group of midmoms and midshipmen.  Last night we all met for dinner and laughed and chatted the entire evening.  It was a great evening. Today was more of the same. My midmom friends and their children are just the nicest people you could ever meet.  Thank you for such a wonderful weekend! The whole event was made even more special by the fact that today is my older daughter's birthday.  I am sooooo glad I am here with her to celebrate her big day.  I know it may be a long time - probably years before I get the chance to spend her birthday with her again and I am so grateful for every second we have together.  Tonight we are going to spend the evening - just the two of us - having a yummy dinner from home and talking until the wee hours of the morning.  Happy Birthday my dear mid-daughter! I love you!

Precious Cargo.....delivered safely

I made it! My ankle and I arrived safely in Annapolis and all the puppies were safely delivered to their new families. They were really good travelers. I mean they DID do a LOT of pooping along the way and I did have to make several pit stops - but no one got carsick and they were quiet little travelers. The only time they got really noisy was when I was listening to "The Whistler" on Radio Classics. Every time the storyline break came up and the whistling started, the puppies all started whining and howling. Mr. Yesteryear Acres is always whistling so I guess that made the puppies miss him! It was pretty cute! I did have one super exciting thing happen on my drive today! You will NEVER guess what crossed the road in front of me on the highway! I called Mr. Yesteryear Acres right away, I could hardly contain my excitement. He guessed Turkey. WRONG. I called my son (who is buried under blankets sick at home in bed) and he guessed Ring-Necked Pheasant. WRONG AGAIN! I mean I almost was jumping up and down IN the car I was so excited. Are you ready? A BOBCAT! A for real - big BOBCAT! It ran across all the lanes of traffic and I had to hit my brakes in order not to squish it. I got a really good close up look! I have only seen bobcats in the zoo. This is my very first wild bobcat and it was AWESOME! It just made my whole drive! There were also an inordinate amount of huge hawks today so I had my wildlife drive complete with patches of snow on the mountainsides. It was a good drive and I made it just ahead of the snowstorm. Now I am off to get a pillow, a bag of ice and rest my poor ankle until dinner time tonight. Hopefully the swelling will go down and I will make it out to see my midmom friends for the evening. In any event... I MADE IT!

Perfect.....Oh wait....Never Mind

So I had the perfect plan all lined up.  I figured out a way to see my daughter at the Naval Academy, deliver the puppies AND save my ankle.  It was perfect.  My son who now has his very own driver's permit can DRIVE.  And he LOVES to drive! And he WANTS to drive. And he loves puppies. He is the most awesome puppy assistant ever.  The puppies adore him, he works/plays with them every single day and he loves what he does here at Yesteryear Acres.  He is also the perfect travel companion because he talks to me and we have in depth conversations for the entire duration of our road trips. So - I told my son that if he got an A on his next Honors Geometry exam - he could miss school on Friday and come with me to Annapolis.  His school has a 2 hour early release due to a wrestling tournament so he wouldn't even be missing a full day. So of course my son gets an A.  Not only does he get an A - he gets 100% A+. So we are all SET!  Road Trip!  My very own Chauffeur!  My very own assistant that helps clean up puppy poop and puts gas in the car and keeps me company and takes the puppies for walks!  I have his favorite snack foods packed. I have everything ready! Until.........
My son walks in the door after school today - green.  I mean really green. He is burning up with a fever and has a deep productive cough. He says he feels fine, *cough cough cough* and can make it, as his backpack drops to the floor. *sigh*  Road trip for one.  Here I come.

Whisper of Snow!

Yay!  It is SNOWING! Oh my gosh have I missed snow. Beautiful white snow!  When I woke up this morning I gasped out loud. Everything was ALMOST white.  You know it has been a dreary muddy winter when the excitement builds at 1/4 inch of snow on the ground!  We just haven't seen snow this winter. My older daughter has wanted a pair of real snowboarding pants and jacket for years. This Christmas she finally got them.  She has worn the new snowboarding gear exactly once. In the house. On Christmas.  That is it.  We haven't really even had cold enough weather to enjoy a snowboarding jacket.  While we definitely do not have enough snow for snowboarding, or snowmen, or pure whiteness - it is snow covered outside! The trees have little white fingers. The rooftops are all white. Our yard is pretty much all white.... Even the muddy parts!  It looks SO BEAUTIFUL!  The puppies however think it looks SO TASTY! Every time they have gone outside today it is all "lick, lick lick, lick lick".  They have had their fill of snow today!  They have little snowbeards and little snow mustaches when they come back inside.  It is adorable. With this much fun with just a whisper of snow.....I can't imagine how much fun we would have if we got a real snowfall!  Winter isn't over yet!  Maybe there is still a chance!

Hey Don't Forget the Puppy Pictures!

In my wracked state of realism or spare - I totally forgot that Monday's Blogs are devoted to cute puppy pictures! What was I thinking?  I made Monday all dilemma-filled instead of all "awwwwwww" and "so cute" and I even took new pictures yesterday.  I updated the website with all the cuteness but didn't post the cuteness here. I must make amends. So here without further ado are this week's new puppy picture snuggles!

Hey!  Don't forget the Puppy Pictures!!!!

I want my picture taken first!!!!

Is this a cute pose?

But she makes a REALLY good pillow!!!!!

I just LOVE my hairdresser!

Weehoo!  I get to meet my family on Friday!!!!

I am not ready to leave my Mommy yet. I still have a few weeks to go.

See you next week!!!!

Realism....or....Spare?

Okay so here is the dilemma....and please once you read the dilemma do not act as if there is no dilemma.  Do not act as if there is only one obvious solution.  Feel my pain.  Feel the very big dilemma that I face. Suffer with me!
So my older daughter's birthday is THIS weekend. I am all set to go drive to Annapolis and stay the weekend. I made the hotel reservations last year.  I have puppies to deliver to the East Coast and all the families are set and ready for me to arrive with the puppy mobile eager to meet their new fluffy family members.  I have the birthday cake, special dinner menu, everything I need all ready for the weekend.  I even have other moms of midshipmen going to the Naval Academy the same weekend and we all have plans to get together.  We only get to have fun via email or facebook so this is a chance for us all to be together IN person!  Doesn't this plan sound perfect?  I mean the midmoms are going out to dinner, they want to join in the birthday celebration, they are meeting for breakfast, my daughter has been granted permission to be with me for the weekend.  Everything is all aligned perfectly. What is the issue??? Well my ankle REALLY hurts. I mean every single step I take.  I talked to the orthopedic surgeon today and I guess I did a REALLY good job of breaking it and tearing the ligaments and evidently I am supposed to be in pain for MONTHS.  I said, "MONTHS???!!" Yes - months.  I have a really long road to recovery. ARGH.  If I were to be realistic and honest - well I don't think I can do the 7+ hours of driving, deliver the puppies and not have my ankle be the size of let's say - a watermelon. Annapolis is definitely a walking type town and I KNOW I won't want to miss out on anything so I will do all the festivities.  I won't be able to say no.  There are some really fun plans for the weekend! I really want to go and do everything.  Realistically - I will suffer. My ankle is already pathetic and if I go - I face a weekend of deep pain. ON THE OTHER HAND ----- I have a spare!  I mean I have TWO ankles!!!  So what if one hurts. I have another one that works!  I can easily make the drive - and who doesn't like watermelon???  I can focus on the fact that my other ankle is fine - I can ignore the giant ankle and just go for it.  It is my daughter's birthday!  It is midmoms weekend!  It is Puppy Day!  I can't possibly miss out on all of that!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres said something along the lines that - HE would like to celebrate our daughter's birthday with her.  HE would deliver the puppies. HE would make the trip and I should work on rehabilitating my ankle as prescribed. Hmmmm. That just doesn't make any sense to me!  So Realism.....or.....Spare?!

Short but of course Sweet

My daughter is on her way back to college. Mr. Yesteryear Acres left right after lunch today to drive her back to school. *sniff sniff*  I think she spent just as much time driving to and from school as she did staying here. The doggies are all running around the house looking for her. They don't believe me when I tell them she is already gone again. We all miss her already!!!! It was a really quick visit but we packed as much fun and love as we could during her short stay. Last night we had the big birthday celebration. My daughter's birthday is only 3 days before her grandma's birthday so a combined birthday party is always the most fun.

The dinner turned out perfectly and then it was CAKE TIME!

Now at first glance this might seem like the person who put the candles in (me) did not have enough candles in the drawer and forgot to buy the number "9" at the store.  Au Contraire!  That is not the case at all.  See....Mr. Yesteryear Acres Mommy turned 77 - hence the number 77.  I know - that part seems obvious.  WELL - my daughter loves animals. And I had 12 awesome animal candles.  I mean who doesn't love zebra and giraffe candles? Right!?  AND if you add the TWELVE awesome animal candles to the number SEVEN.....SEE????? 19!!!!  I had it all planned out from the start.  The cake clearly has 77 and 19 candles of celebration on it! No one forgot to buy the number "9" at the store. Nope!

This look clearly says....we believe you.  Look even the doggie believes me!

I think as they are blowing out their awesome candles....they are both wishing that for their next birthdays - I make another cake with just the same amount of creativity and candle love as I did this year!!!!!

Happy BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthdaytabulous!

OOOOH today is an awesome birthdaytabulous celebration!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres went and picked up our younger daughter from college and brought her home so we could celebrate her birthday.  I am SOOOOOOOOO happy to see her!  I was literally shoved into the window sill with my hands up on the glass and my eyes glued to our driveway waiting for them to pull in.  I could hardly stand the anticipation!  We are having a huge dinner tonight with all her favorite foods.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres' mom also just had her birthday so she is coming over tonight too.  Double Birthdaytabulous!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres' mom likes all the same foods as our younger daughter so the birthday meal works our perfectly.  For the cake.....Strawberry Banana Cake!  They both LOVE that cake.  I have candles ready, the cake is baked and frosted, the dinner is in the oven and I am going to go spend the rest of the afternoon with my daughter! Birthdaytabulous!

No White Knuckles!

Today I had to make a puppy delivery to the airport.  The airport is about an hour's drive from here so it is an all afternoon affair to get to the airport in time, have enough time so the puppy can meet its new happy owner, and then return home. I was really not looking forward to doing the trip by myself today. I was about to leave when my son said he would go with me. Yea!  Company!!!!  He held the puppy in his lap so I didn't even need the travel crate. Yea again!! Then for an added bonus of even MORE YEA!, my son took the puppy into the airport while I pulled the car around and before I could even park the car, he was all done. The new owner loved her new puppy. The puppy loved her new owner and all was right with the world. YEA YEA!  Then my son got back in the car and said........."I can drive home now!" Oh right.  He has his permit.  And can drive.  All the way home. From the airport. In traffic. Joy.  So of course the only way a new driver can learn to drive is to actually drive  - so I slid over and gave him the wheel.  I was ready to grip the car handle with the white knuckle grip of death. I have already gone through the driver's permit stage with my two daughters so was prepared to add even more grey hair to my head.  Surprisingly - and in a good surprisingly way - I had No White Knuckles!  I mean I did GRAB onto the door handle when we had to merge across 5 lanes of traffic and he has never merged before. There is that moment when he says, "Now?" and I say, "Yes Now!" and he says "now!??!" that you have a slight hiccup in your calmness. As in YES NOW ACCCCKKKKK!  But other than that - the ride home was really nice.  He kept a good constant speed. He stayed in his lane. And he smiled. All the way home.  I had a happy smiling 15 year old boy for HOURS today!  Now what is better than that?!

1 Mile ...1 Suitcase...DONE!

Today I set monumental goals. Goal number one - UNPACK Suitcase.  Yes the suitcase from the trip I took with my mom and sister over a week ago. Yes the suitcase that has been staring at me every day since.  I am not sure why - but the motivation to unpack a suitcase full of suntan lotions, swimming suits, sundresses and sandals just eluded me.  It was like saying goodbye to an old friend.  Goodbye dear swimsuits. I will miss you. Goodbye cute sandal (yes just one). I adore you.  Goodbye suntan lotion. I remember when I needed you. Sniff sniff. I unpacked it all. I even put away my snorkel.  All gone and put away, neat and tidy. I also got a number of other things accomplished making my "To Do" list shorter by the hour.  I was quite pleased with myself.  My other big goal was to go walk. A REAL walk. A walk like I mean it and I would like to get back into shape walk.  My son went with me to make sure I would make it.  He is nice that way.  I ended up walking a little over ONE MILE!  With NO cane.  NO crutches!  Just regular sneakers and an ankle brace.  I am very proud.  Of course my ankle is now doing that "Wah Wah Wah" thing.  It has its very own pulse and is a LITTLE bigger than it should be BUT I did it.  I finished an entire mile. I feel myself getting into supersonic shape right now! Yes!!!!!!!!  Tomorrow I hope to walk a mile again.  At this rate I will be back to my 4 miles per hour pace by the end of March! ONE STEP AT A TIME! YES!

WATCH OUT!

So today I got to go to a lovely little place called the BMV.  I thought it stood for the "Bureau of Motor Vehicles" but after my afternoon there - I believe it might be more aptly named "Brainless Moving Violators"  Oh my gosh! Was every person who was ever arrested, in an accident, holding a suspended license, late for registration fees or what have you, there the same time I was??????  I think so! I had to go to the BMV because my little 6'4" baby is old enough to get his Driver's permit.  Yes.  As in DRIVE a REAL car.  We went so he could take the written exam and get his honest to goodness real permit.  Of course he easily passed in record time and had his beautiful new temporary driver's license in no time.  Even so, while I waited I was surrounded by conversations like this...
Hey MAN!  What are you doin here?
Well I am gettin my license back cause the cops stole it from me.
They stole it?
Yeah Man - I was drivin home drunk and was only ONE BLOCK FROM HOME when I got busted.
Man That Ain't fair. I am here cause I got mine suspended too! Darn DUI! Ain't Fair!

Note to self....wear seatbelts.  Look both ways SEVERAL times before crossing the street. This was further emphasized when the cutest older man was trying to get his license renewed. To say he was "older" is really kind of me.  He was VERY old.  I wondered if he would make it to the counter. I am not kidding you.  The BMV worker asked him to read the 4th line on the eye chart.
HEH?
4th line
T P Q Y
No Sir 4th line
OH okay R S O
No Sir FOURTH LINE ... the line BELOW that one
T P Q Y
No Sir that is the same line. Try again
T P Q Y
No sir - the OTHER Line
P...  L....  J....  J....  J?
No Sir that isn't quite right.  Try again

Okay I am not even exaggerating.  The guy got like 10 chances!  AND THEY RENEWED HIS LICENSE.  He barely could walk all the way over to the other side of the room to get his new picture taken.  The entire waiting room was just full of newly licensed or re-licensed or reinstated drivers. SO beware.  You never know who is behind the wheel!  It might even be.....MY SON! GASP!

Is There a Woman I can Talk to?

I have been told there is a Progresso Soup commercial where a woman calls into Progresso to excitedly share her weight loss news only to receive a lukewarm uninterested response. At that point she asks if there is a woman she can talk to. So last night at dinner, I share my big news...... I got a real authentic SNEAKER on my  foot!  With laces! And a sock! And I walked ALL the way to the pond AND back with OUT crutches. ALL BY MYSELF!  I shared this news with the biggest smile on my face.  I mean can you imagine? A real sneaker!  The first shoe I have put on my foot since I broke my ankle over Thanksgiving! And I got it over my brace and I walked.  Now it wasn't pretty. I have a weird limpy gimpy gait. It wasn't fast. Snails passed me on the trail. But I did it. So what response did I receive at the dinner table??? "that's nice." That's nice?????  Not even "That's Nice!!!" it was all lower case enthusiasm ..."that's nice."  Kind of like a dismissive, "that's nice dear".  What the heck?!  I started to protest. I started to inform the "boys" how monumental this occasion was.  My son said that I sounded like the woman in the Progresso Soup commercial and suggested I call one of his sisters. ARGH! MEN!  So of course I called my younger daughter. YEA!  I got a lot of - "WOW!  GOOD JOB! THAT IS AWESOME!  YEA MOMMY!"  I almost got a full parade with a marching band! Thank goodness someone was excited for me. I guess the only way to get an enthusiastic response around here is to talk about how I ran errands and picked up a carburetor along the way. OH WOW! A CARBURETOR! So much better than let's say, someone breaking their ankle and then walking for the first time in a shoe.......Is There a Woman I can Talk to?

If it is Monday....it must be Picture Day!

Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were on the ball and had new pictures taken of all our sweet puppies by mid-morning.  We are that good.  Of course it is quite easy when your photo subjects are so darn cute! We love Picture Monday!!!

Here is Phoebe's little Goldendoodle Girl. 

Group Hug!!!!! They love to snuggle in a big puppy pile of love.

I think my brother makes a very soft pillow.

I need a pillow!!!!

Is it dinner time yet?

I am going to my new home this weekend!!!

One more week for me!

HAPPY PICTURE MONDAY!!!!

Right Again!

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

BIRTHDAY GIRL

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

Loves Puppies

And Loves Stuffed Animals

And Loves Ice Cream

And Loves Chocolate Cake

And Loves Surprises

And Loves Swimming

And Loves Snowflakes.....

You

haven't

changed

a 

bit

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

Run Run Run Around

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

Family

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

111 times....SAY CHEESE!

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

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

I would never ever joke around with the photographers!

Or make people crack up!

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

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

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

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

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

Even if we are stacked up like building blocks!

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

OOOOH SISTER Picture!!!!!!

Awwwwww

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

Home Sweet Puppy Home!!!

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

I think this puppy REALLY missed me!!!!

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

Scarlet and McGyver have the cutest little puppies!

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

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

Ooooh he is soooooo soft and cuddly!

Puppy Snuggles!!!!

Farewell!

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

Say Cheese!!!

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

Old Man Winter

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

YMCA! Sing it with me!!!

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

That Made My Heart Smile

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

Well ... The Horse is a Surprise!

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

I Have Found My People!

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

Internet...where for art thou?

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

A Few Extra Scratches Behind the Ear

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

Happy Toes

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

And she was there until the crinkles set in

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

Cleared for Take-Off

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

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

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

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

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