Email Issues

Today I received a few emails from people who hadn't received my replies to their previous email inquiries. It seems there was a glitch with the outgoing mail server last week. I am SO glad they emailed me again because along with writing my blog every day, I am committed to answering all my emails. I am usually very prompt with my email replies and if you haven't heard back from me within a day, please email me again as something must have gone wrong. I always feel so awful when someone doesn't receive a response from me.  I wouldn't want anyone to feel that I have ignored them as answering my emails each and every day is a top priority for me.  In fact just yesterday, I was telling my mom that I never have a day off from computer work.  I haven't taken a day off in years.  I write the Yesteryear Acres blog every single day and I always answer all my mail.  I also take care of the doodle doggies and puppies so every day is a busy day around here.  I check my emails frequently throughout the day so if for some reason I missed your correspondence, please email again.  I am happy to answer any and all questions.  That is what I am here for and I am always happy to help.  Also never hesitate to write anytime.  I am never too busy to get mail.  I love hearing from my puppy families! As a matter of fact......I will go check my inbox now. Email time!

When I Grow Up

I got to spend some really awesome quality time with my mom this week. She is a LOT of fun and we are usually so busy that we don't get to see each other as often as we would like.  We are limited to a quick phone call or email and we always mean to get together but somehow life gets in the way. This week was different.  This week we got to go out together and we took time to exercise together and we had some DELICIOUS meals together and we even got to go dancing together.  I cannot tell you how many people came up to us and asked,
"Are you mother and Daughter?"
Followed immediately by, "You guys are the happiest, most fun, mother and daughter we have ever seen! You are so lucky to have so much fun together!"
My mom had a lot of people come up to her and say, "I want to be like you when I grow up" or "I hope I can be like you when I am your age!" At first she wasn't sure how to take this. "My age??? My age? AM I OLD?!??"  I had to tell her that yes, she is old BUT she doesn't act old and that is all that matters!  She outdanced everyone on the dance floor.  She outsmiled everyone in the restaurant.  She literally sparkled with happiness.  We had the best time together and I am SO appreciative of every minute. Everyone needs a little Mommy time in their life! I am so lucky mine is so much fun!

Happiness is sure to follow

 Today I had a nice long talk with a Doctor that I happened to have met. This wasn't a doctor appointment type talk -just a happenstance type encounter. He is an extremely well known and respected physician and we just started talking about life and life choices.  He had some tough things happen in his life and I shared with him what happened with me and my heart attack.  He said almost word for word all the things I was feeling. He was very much about living in the present and giving yourself permission to take care of your own needs. It was a deep conversation and it just made me feel good about the choices I have made.  Taking time out of each day to exercise and to eat healthy is important. Taking time out of each day to be grateful and appreciative of all the things you are given in life is important. Not taking a single day for granted is important.  Letting go of the things you cannot change and being responsible for your own happinesses is key to living a peaceful and happy life. He was quick to tell me that most people don't come back from a heart attack like the one I had.  Then he said he was really glad I made it and that I was one of the happiest, most upbeat, smiling person that he has ever met.  I thanked him and said that every day, I feel blessed and I like to share my happiness with others.  That is one of the big reasons raising puppies is so fulfilling.  Each time a sweet puppy leaves us to join their new family, happiness is sure to follow!

Love to Dance!

I love to dance.  I mean I really love to dance.  If I hear any music with any type of moving grooving beat, I can't even sit still. At first my toes will start tapping and then my legs start moving and before I know it - dancing is on.  I have a few friends that can definitely verify my love of dancing.  When I was at the Labradoodle conference last October, one night a band started playing and NO ONE was dancing. I asked some of my doodle friends if they wanted to dance and they were shocked. "THERE IS NO ONE DANCING! WE MIGHT DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT!"  Embarrassment? Over dancing?  I think not!  So I started dancing and then other people started dancing.  It is often like that on the dance floor.  No one wants to be THAT person that starts dancing but once one person gets it going, before you know it, the dance floor is full.  I am pretty much willing to always get the dance party started.  I can literally dance all night.  I never get tired.  Since I rarely get the chance to dance, I have to sneak it in when I can.  When I clean the house every Thursday - I dance.  When I do puppy work, I dance.  Sometimes I have the best music playing when I walk on the treadmill and then I do this weird treadmill walk/dance.  I can't help it.  Once the music starts....the dancing begins! I think people who love to dance are happy people.  I know I am!!!

Something Special

Surprise! Today I worked on a surprise gift for Mr. Yesteryear Acres.  He works so hard all the time and he never ever complains.  No matter what life throws in Mr. Yesteryear Acres way, he faces it with a smile.  He is very much a "Life is what it is ..... it's the attitude that makes the difference" type guy.  He is a caring, smiling, positive, glass is ALWAYS half-full person.  He is Mr. Steady. Nothing ever rattles him and no obstacle is too big to overcome.  I love that about him.  He is my rock.  This week has been kind of a rough for him so today I am working on getting him a present.  He never asks for anything so what better than to pick a random Wednesday in January to get him a present. The best part - I know he will love it.  His gift should arrive by the weekend.  I can't wait!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres......all your hard work is SO appreciated and something special is coming just for you!

Music fills the soul

Every now and then I like to take the time to be appreciative of those things I sometimes tend to take for granted.  Today I just am super grateful for the gift of music.  I love music.  I love all kinds of music.  My rainbow of music appreciation is quite vast.  I am happy listening to the Phantom of the Opera. I am happy listening to Latin Reggae-tone music.  I love everything in between.  I can be in the bluest of moods and one minute of Jack Johnson singing can instantly cheer me up.  Music can wake my sleepy soul on dreary days and have me tapping my toes and singing along with  happiness.   Music makes cleaning the house a much more enjoyable chore than it would be otherwise.  As I did my morning workout this morning and found myself smiling as I was singing along - I just thought - how lucky we are to have a world filled with beautiful melodies to brighten our days. 

No Napping Allowed

COFFEE. Oh man I need coffee today. I am so sleepy.  Everyone here at Yesteryear Acres is seriously sleep deprived.  I find myself doing that odd staring thing where you aren't really looking at anything but you can't stop staring at the nothingness.  My productivity level is seriously lacking.  Even my workout enthusiasm was clearly lacking.  I did my workout but I know I could have put forth a much better effort.  I might have to do the unthinkable today.  I might have to take a (gasp) NAP! I was raised that taking naps is something one just doesn't do. It is almost an evil thought - needing a nap.  Both my sister and I still have an unnatural fear of naps.  If I tell my mom I got three hours of sleep for the entire night- she will say, "That's good".  She never naps.  She also wakes up before the sun EVERY SINGLE DAY.  She never sleeps in.  As in never.  When we vacation together, I have to set my alarm unnaturally early for O'Dark-Thirty and she will have already been awake for hours.  I might need to actually go against my non-napping stance and just lie down for a few minutes.  Just a few.........zzzzzzzz

Worry

Worrying is a completely useless emotion. It serves no purpose whatsoever.  If you spend all day worrying about something, does that do anything to alter the course of events? No.  Does it make the situation any better or any worse? No.  Worrying only saps the joy out of the current moment. It takes everything away from what IS actually happening and instead focuses everything on what COULD happen.  I used to be quite the worrier.  I think all Type A people tend to be worriers.  We just so desperately want to be in control of everything and fix everything and make everything better.  The reality is - life is NEVER what you expect or have planned.  It throws curveballs every chance it gets.   Over the past few years I have trained myself to only worry about something when it  becomes absolutely necessary to worry about it.  You will know when that time comes.  It comes when there is an obvious definitive action that needs to take place. Up until that point, worrying doesn't solve a thing.  We have had a lot on our plate at Yesteryear Acres lately and I have fallen into the worry trap.  It is an easy thing to do.  Today, I will breathe.  I will take a moment.  I will look at what is happening in the here and now and I will remember....

I shall not worry about something until it is absolutely necessary to worry about it.

Yay for you!

I got up very early to exercise this morning and was pleasantly surprised by how many people I saw doing the same. It was great to see so many people out and about and working on their resolutions of good health.  I have to say, that even though I am very committed to staying fit, it isn't always easy for me to find the motivation.  Some days I waste more time thinking about putting on my shoes than I do actually putting on my shoes.  Someone once told me that the amount of time people spend rationalizing or questioning whether they really want to workout could be better spent actually working out.  If you spend 10 minutes thinking about whether you want to get moving - instead you could have already been moving for 10 minutes.  I try to get motivated right away any time I start down the path of "if I exercise later then....."  So this morning, I was up and out and I felt happy to see other people jogging and walking and biking.  It gave me a sense of camaraderie. It does take time and effort to maintain physical fitness but with every minute you give towards being fit - you gain a lifetime of health and happiness.   Here's to all my morning workout buddies! Yay for you!

My Apologies

I bet you didn't know that I possess an amazingly unbelievable super power.  I am able to control........the weather! I really am.  For instance, if Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I finish planting our 5 acre garden complete with 110+ tomato plants, the very next day, there will be NO rain.  In fact, there will be NO rain for weeks.  If I have a drive scheduled through the mountains that has to occur on a specific day, with no chance to change the date, there will be a blizzard of massive proportions.  If I wash my car, it will immediately rain, or it will sleet or hail. For sure some sort of slushy salty road mixture of precipitation is a definite guarantee.  So I apologize. Because yesterday I bathed all the doodle doggies and doodle puppies. Every doodle doggie and doodle puppy sparkled they were so clean.  Today...........RAIN!!!!!  Tons of rain. In January. Turning our backyard into a weird mixture of sinking mud holes and treacherous ice slides.  The result ....our doodle doggies and puppies say,  "OH BOY LOOK AT THE ICE SLIDE!  Let's GO DOODLE DOGGIES!  OH BOY! IF WE HIT THE ICE SLIDE JUST RIGHT, WE CAN LAND RIGHT IN THE MUD PUDDLES AND SPLASH FOR HOURS!!!!"  For every single person suffering through brown drippy muddy messy doodle doggies - I am sorry.  I can control the weather but I need to work on fine tuning my abilities.  Some day....some day.....I will get it right!

Puppy Baths and Puppy Fun

This weekend our sweet doodle puppies will be going to their new homes so today was Puppy Bath day! All the puppies really enjoyed their day at the Yesteryear Acres Spa and are now sparkly clean and ready to meet their new families. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I worked together to make sure the puppies were beautiful from head to tail.  Nails - Check! Ears - Check! Happy fun puppies - Check check and check! It was a busy day but as always - spending the day with cute puppies is always a good day. Looks like the weather is going to warm up so all the puppies should have a blast playing outside with their new families.  Puppy weekend is almost here!

NOT happy....SIGH...NOT HAPPY

Okay - so I thought saying goodbye to my daughter at the airport was the stressful part of my day yesterday but noooooooooooooo I was so wrong! Last night I received a phone call from my daughter. The second the phone rang, I immediately panicked! She was supposed to be flying over the Atlantic that very minute.  Why is she calling me?
"Mommy, our plane had an engine failure so they turned it around and we are back in Atlanta."
And there she sat. And sat. And sat. On the tarmac from 4:30pm until 8:00pm.  Which meant she was never ever ever going to make her connecting flight in London. PANIC!  My daughter's school offered a group flight option for getting the students to the University in Europe.  Did I use that? NO! I found 2 separate flights on 2 separate airlines that saved over $500 and decided that we would do our own flights.  Good plan.....UNTIL THE ENGINE FAILED. WAH!  I spent hours on the phone with both airline companies and big surprise - neither one cared. In the end I had to spend money to change her existing flight reservations to the next flight departing London later that afternoon. The change fee was MORE THAN HER ENTIRE TICKET COST.  ACK!  I had no other choice.  Then to make me feel even better ....the original flight she was scheduled on for this morning was DELAYED.  So she would have actually made the morning flight!  And I spent TWO hours on the phone today with both airlines again and no one will refund my change ticket fee.  Basically they said, "You paid for a change. We gave you a change.  There is no refund for getting what you requested."  Oh gee thanks.  I feel ever so much better about paying for a change that I didn't need to pay for. I also feel awesome that my daughter is still stuck in London waiting for the late afternoon flight and I am sure she is thinking how much she loves me now that she has a 9 hour layover.......and was there.....when the original flight departed. I don't think I will breathe easy until I hear that she has made it to her final destination safe and sound.  I hope I hear from her soon!

HAPPY...sigh.....HAPPY....sigh

My younger daughter is on a jet flying across the pond to a grand adventure. She will be spending the next semester in Europe, seeing all the sights and experiencing all the different cultures. When she learns about Van Gogh in her Art History class, her professor will then take the entire class to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. She will have a field trip to the Louvre in Paris.  Everything she reads about in a book she will experience first hand. I am so HAPPY for her!
and then.......
sigh.....OH MY GOSH! The doggies already miss her.  The puppies already miss her.  I ALREADY MISS HER!!!!!  She will be gone for so long! How will I live!?! The house is already so empty without her.
and then.....
She will see the Alps!  She will see Castles!  She will see amazing museums! She will see the Mediterranean Sea!
HAPPY!
and then.....
I had to say goodbye to her at the airport and watch her walk through security knowing I will not see her again for almost six months. Inside my heart was literally breaking.....sigh
But on the outside, I smiled and I hugged her tight and I waved, I said I AM SO HAPPY! Cause I am.........Happy.......and .......well you know.  Sigh.

Snowsicle Puppies

Oh my the puppies had so much fun playing in the snow today.  All the previously snow statue puppies now can't wait to go outside and romp in the snow. They love it.  Today was snowtastic!

We want to play!!!!

YEA! It is our favorite snow buddy!

 

Shhhhhh. I will sneak up very slowly

Time to pounce!!!!

SNOW SLIDE TIME!

We made it!!!!

We are too little to go outside and play

Bwahahahaha we get all the warm snuggle time!

Happy Monday!

BIG Surprise

My younger daughter and I spent the majority of the day running errands. It was the "let's go get everything you need, last trip, last chance, don't forget" errand run.  When we arrived home, my son had spent the entire day working on our porch and kitchen. I was SO surprised!  The porch was completely vacuumed and new carpet laid out and everything was dusted and beautiful.  The kitchen was so clean, I literally almost fell over!  We have a coat rack in our kitchen that has long disappeared.  There are so many coats flung onto the rack that it nearly topples over with the slightest breeze. The coats were all gone! They were actually put in the coat room! Hanging up where they are supposed to go! We also have a ridiculous shoe and boot collection as soon as you walk in that takes over 1/4 of the eating area in the kitchen.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son work outside for so many hours each day, that when they come in, everything they are wearing gets dumped into that corner and all their tools and boxes get stacked onto one section of my kitchen counter.  Each and every day, I shove their "collection" down the counter and stack it to a teetering height so that I can use my counter.  Each and every evening, they spread their farm collection down the entire length of my counter. It is a never ending battle.  Today - my entire counter was clean.  Not one tool. Not one glove. Not one battery, flashlight, WD-40 can, twine, hand warmer, roll of duct tape.....nothing.  The boots were ALL put away! The floor was vacuumed! It looks amazing and my kitchen looks twice as big. Now that is the kind of welcome home that I love!

Snow Good!

This week we have been busy trying to convince our young sweet puppies that going out in the freezing cold snow is FUN!  REALLY FUN!  And even more fun  than going out into the snow is "GOING" in the snow.  As in going potty.  The puppies have thus far been reluctant to embrace this idea.  Every time I take them out, they turn around and look at me as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"  The whole outing usually results in the puppies laying in the snow, "frozen" to the spot, with no movement.  Within 2 seconds of being placed in the snow, they start shivering for added effect.  They look as pitiful as they can and then we head back inside where the second they feel the warmth of the house, they all say, "HEY NOW WE CAN GO POTTY! It's so nice and warm in here!"  Today - we had puppy visit day, so the puppies had lots of social interactions and lots of time to go outside to show off their snow skills.  By the end of the day, we had most of the puppies actually GOING in the snow!  Success!  We still have two reluctant snow statue puppies - but I have a feeling by tomorrow, they will join in the snow fun as well.  Once the puppies got over the "Gee it is cold and the snow is deep and why am I out here" stage - the puppies actually started having fun.  We did snow mountain climbing and snow sledding and snow romping.  It was a great progress day for the pups and it was so much fun to watch. Once they got the hang of it - there was no stopping them.  Snow Good!

Room for me?

Today was spent tying up all the little loose ends before my younger daughter departs for Europe.  I think we have everything covered.  We have to go through her 2 bags one last time, do the online check in for her flights, pick up her rail pass but we are nearing the end of the giant To Do list.  We have had fun getting ready together and I know her adventure is going to be amazing. Of course....I AM GOING TO MISS HER!  When I went to bed last night it hit me.  She is going to be GONE! She is my bestest helper.  She is my smiley happy sunshine girl.  She is my I love you Mommy girl.  She is my watch silly girly TV shows girl. I don't know how I will survive the next 6 months without her! I know this is the best decision and greatest adventure and I never ever would want her to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but.......
is there room for me in her suitcase?

Snow Mountain Climbing is not in my future

This afternoon I had a BRILLIANT idea! I ran to share my brilliance with my daughter. "HEY!  Do you know what we could do? We could go walk in the deep snow for exercise! It will be great!"  My daughter readily agreed.  Snow walking.  Excellent idea. The freezing cold weather is just an added bonus because just staying warm burns calories and when we add in walking - we will be so in shape it will be amazing! We put on all our winter layers. Thermal layer. Check.  Fleece layer. Check.  Scarf. Check. Hat Check. Snow boots. Check. Gloves. Check. Snowsuit. Check.  100% ready for awesomeness!  We grinned from ear to ear as we stepped out into the snow covered landscape.  Off we went. Step. Sink. Step. Sink. Step. Sink.  MAN this snow is deep.  Step. Siiiiiiink.  I have never climbed our hill so slowly. I was literally gasping for breath when I reached the top.  How can this be? I have been exercising regularly! My daughter, while slightly winded, was WAITING for me. She had to do extra laps as I was THAT slow.  Every single step resulted in me sinking in the snow, slowly pulling my leg out and taking yet another slow and ever so difficult step.  After the first mile, I was totally walking in my daughter's footsteps.  I wasn't even breaking my own snow anymore and STILL I was tired.  I started pulling off layers.  I didn't need a hat or scarf or gloves or ANYTHING.  My face was so red from the exertion, I looked sunburned.  After 3 miles, my daughter asked if I wanted to do another loop. Ummmmmmm..... how about NO!  I crawled back to the house, took off all the ridiculous layers and fell to the floor.  Can I please have some water?  I am afraid I will be here laying on the floor until tomorrow.

OH OH OH day

Tis that time of the year.  Time for.....OH OH OH day.  What is OH OH OH day? Well it is the exact opposite of HO HO HO day which is let's get everything out of the attic and put boxes all over the house and get out all our Christmas decorations and DECORATE.  So of course OH OH OH day is - let's get all the empty boxes out of the attic and go to each and every room and gather ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL the Christmas decorations and put them away until next year.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres LOVES Christmas and believe me - there is not a single room without Christmas decorations.  It will take ALL day and maybe part of tomorrow as well to get the entire project finished.  Tonight we will probably have the entire tree done and all the ornaments boxed up in their special little boxes.  Mr. and Mrs. Claus have come back inside.  The tin soldiers are back in their boxes.  The wreaths are off the doors.  The candles have been collected.  It is UNChristmas day here.  It always is kind of a bummer of a day but once it is all done - it is always a relief. Tomorrow will be the cardio burn/strength training day as all of Christmas will be lugged back to the attic.  Looks like I can eat the rest of my Christmas cookies guilt free!  OH OH OH is here!

New Year's Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is a brand new day of a brand new year of a brand new you!  Today is everyone's favorite day.....NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION day!  You know the day where you promise to be a better version of yourself and do all the things you have promised to do each and every New Year's Day for the past decade?
Common Resolutions:
I will lose weight
I will exercise each and every day
I will be more organized
I will file my receipts EVERY single time with no delay
I will keep my house clean
I will work less and enjoy life more

Now that we have gotten those resolutions out of the way......I have decided to make ALL NEW RESOLUTIONS for this year.  Resolutions that matter.  Resolutions that are needed.  Resolutions that are obtainable.
Like....
I will be the first one this year to Let the Dogs Out.   CHECK!
I will be the first one this year to clean up puppy poop.  CHECK!
I will be the first one this year to empty the dishwasher. CHECK!
I will be the first one to track snow inside the house because one of my doodle doggies LOVES THE SNOW SO MUCH that I have to go outside and pretend to throw a snowball into the porch so she comes back inside.  CHECK!

I am on such a roll I might continue to make resolutions all day long! I forsee resolutions to
make dinner
clean the table
do the dishes
fold the laundry
and of course I certainly can make a New Year's Resolution to UNdecorate my Christmas Tree and UNdecorate my house.  I see ALL my resolutions coming true!  WOW!  I am GREAT! HAPPY NEW YEAR!