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The Finished Product, which won first prize and a hundred dollars for the school's art program.

We spent seven hours in the sun, got sunburned, but it was worth it.

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Something Lost (Jay's suggestion)

At the Art Fair...Some poor kiddo!  My camera is so awesome, that you can actually read the label on the balloon, from a couple of hundred feet away.

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"Light"

I love the back corner of our backyard.  It's close to the creek, the vines grow like crazy, and there are a bunch of trees on that side.  If it were a little more closed in by plants on the neighbor's side, it could almost be a hideaway.
I like to go back there with my camera in the afternoon, when the sun is mid-sky.  The shadows of the leaves form beautiful patterns on the ground, and with the sound of flowing water, it's so peaceful.

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Neighbors, I have some!

This guy is the only other person I ever see in the neighborhood.  Even from this far away, he waves if he sees me.  That's nice.  That's about as much contact as I'd care for.  You never know who you might get stuck with if you try to make friends with the next door neighbors!  Now that he's finally out planting, I know I'm safe to do so myself.  This year I'm sticking to herbs though.  I'm done trying to make actual vegetables grow out of this awful soil.

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Violet

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Indigo-ish 

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Blue (Laurel)

Thursday's Thoughts

Not quite a revival of the weekly post, but I had to get the following off my chest:

Judge not lest ye be judged.

With all the hubbub lately about the upcoming repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, there have been a few discussions at work today about "GBLs" (Gays, Bisexuals, and Lesbians {this is the new "friendly" term}) in the military. I just could not sit on today's discussion without sharing it. When the subject turned to housing "GBLs" on post one person actual had the gall to ask about what I would say to the "good christian family" that was force to live next door to the gay couple. I told the speaker that I cared no more for the "good christian family" than I did for a "good muslim family," a "good wiccan family," or a "good athiest family." I feel the need to extend my point here for you all to argue about. Most importantly I don't expect you to live by my ethics and morals in your house so what makes you think that just because you have a rule written in Deuteronomy that I have to follow it weather I believe in it or not? But almost as importantly, just because someone doesn't choose to follow that one rule does not necessarily mean that they are not a "good christian." At least they aren't as likely to be running around casting the first stone. The real question here has to be, however, when did this become a christian army? Last I remember I swore to defend the constitution, not the bible.

Idle Wednesday

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Green

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The Best Mother's Day

Laurel's stone.

Miah's pearl.

Miah's new pool.  She's so excited!

Yesterday was a great day.  We got up early and Jay made pancakes, of course, because it was Sunday.  We watched "I love Lucy" which is Miah's new obsession.  I really wanted to get the back yard back to yard status, rather than jungle, so we mowed, raked, cleaned, and burnt leaves.  Miah and I cleaned out the-sand pit-once garden area.  Laurel didn't want to do the work, so she doesn't get to swim.  Miah REALLY wanted the pool, so she was on her knees plucking weeds out of the sand, and then later went to town with the rake.  She's so excited to get into the pool after school that she may explode in class.
After we cleaned up, we drove around town trying to find a restaurant that wasn't stuffed to the gills with crazy people.  It didn't occur to me that Sunday was an all around bad day to go out, but it was too late by then, so we braved the crowds.  We actually found a really nice Chinese place that was not very crowded.  We paused for a minute, wondering if the lack of crowd meant that the place was bad...but we took a chance because the place is off the beaten path a bit.  It turned out to be a good bet.  Minus the ass a table away who thought he had to yell into his blue tooth, it was nice.  We made a joke out of the jerk, Jay repeating everything he said out loud, and me staring a hole into the back of his head and making funny faces.  The guy turned around a couple of times, and it was hilarious.
After lunch we headed over to the theater, where we saw "Something Borrowed".  We loved it.  Laugh-out-loud funny.  We weren't very happy about the ending, but there is a sequel to the book (we haven't read the two books yet, but after seeing the movie we will be.  I already bought them on my kindle at half price) so we are hoping that things pan out the way we would like them to.
We stopped by Target to pick up a pool, and while we were driving Jay crazy by stopping every few minutes to ogle something on a shelf, he got ahead of us a bit in the shampoo aisle.  The girls and I thought it would be funny to evade him for a while.  This included sticking Miah's head out at the end of the aisle to spy, running like crazy to the next one, and giggling.  We almost ran into this older gentleman twice, making him giggle too.  He later saw Jay, took pity on him, and told on us.  Rotten luck!  It was hysterical though.  I had been peeking at Jay at the end of one aisle, and he was making funny gestures, looking around, and throwing his arms up in frustration.  Then when he wasn't looking we ran up behind him to ninja him, but he turned around.  It still makes me laugh.
After that we went home, set up the pool, read on the back porch for a while, watched Bones from this week, and went to bed.  Jay got to stay up a little bit and read because he got a break on going to PT this morning since he worked two doubles at the end of last week.  This means he got to sleep in till 6:30 this morning.  Three and a half extra hours of sleep!
I couldn't have had a better day.  Jay bought me two Pandora beads for my bracelet, one for Laurel, and one for Miah.  He was all excited about the Pandora store at the mall here, and insists that I must go see it.  Apparently it's full of beads and jewelry, and it's beautiful.  I told him that it would be hard for me to leave the store without something, and he said, "Just tell yourself you can only have one bead, and you'll be okay."  Is he nuts!?

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Orange

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RED -Photo by Miah (several years ago) Jay's idea to do ROY G BIV all week.

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Memories-Metcalfe County Lake, 2002
This is the first place we stayed when we first moved to Kentucky from Indiana.

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"A complete stranger"

(I helped Miah take the picture, which is why it's from such a low angle)
He was a very nice guy who owns (?) the antique store on Franklin street in Clarksville, Tn.  He liked Miah so much he let us take a picture of him. They had a whole conversation about the store and what Miah's daddy does for a living.  She used to be really bad about telling perfect strangers her entire life story, much like another beautiful little girl we know.
I think this guy looks sort of like he could be related to Ron.

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Perspective

Dobby's perspective of the side porch.  Just for fun.

Doesn't it just figure?

It's absolutely my favorite thing...breaking bones.  I think I've broken every bone in my body, except my hipbone.  Last night after we were done watching tv, Jay thought it would be cute to turn the front room light off while I was still sitting on the couch.  Not that it really mattered, because I know the front room like the back of my hand. 
Not last night though! Miah had been laying on the floor coloring on my lapdesk, and hadn't gotten around to sliding it back under the couch, so when I got up to head to bed, I smashed the middle three toes on my left foot right into it.  My feet look a little odd, because my middle toe is longer than my first toe, so it's the first toe to get smushed.  You know that feeling right before you feel the hurt?  It's just long enough to think "Oh, Shit!" and then comes the pain.  Not this time!  I felt it instantly.  As per usual, I squealed, and no one came running.  I cried, and then heard Jay call, "Harley, you coming to bed?"  He's talking to the dog!!  What the??  Seriously, I hurt myself so often, I think my family has stopped caring.  Well, poo on them!  I think my second to last toe is broken.  No, I'm NOT going to go to the Doctor.  As a matter of fact, I had an appointment for tomorrow, and I canceled it today.  YOU try going on post after this week!  The once open post is now on lock-down, and every car is being searched.  NO thank you!  I'll try again later!

On a brighter note, I just had to brag about Jay.  The other day he came home early.  I happened to be preoccupied in the loo - so when he walked in he had plenty of time to get ready to try to "Ninja Hug" me when I came out.  It's so hard to scare me that the family is always trying to get the drop on me.  I actually heard him come in this time, so when I was ready, I opened the door very slowly, then slammed it open to try to startle him first.   What I saw instead was Jay, on bended knee, holding out a huge bouquet of dandelions in his hand.  He had gotten home and picked the two-foot-tall flowers to give to me.  (The dandelions here are jungle sized, I don't understand it!)  How sweet is that?  Usually if he brings flowers home, they are store bought, but he knows that the "weeds" handpicked are my favorite.  He's so awesome...even if he doesn't come running when I yell ouch. 

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Admiration

Laurel is a great artist.  She has a unique perspective and has always thought out of the box.  When she was really young, she drew a picture of a guitar's reflection in a person's eye.  What kind of kid does that?  I've always admired her ability and it only gets better as she gets older.  Sometimes she draws strange things, like crumpled up pieces of paper, or guitar reflections, but I think that just shows her ability to look at things and see their beauty.
Laurel was just asked by her Art Teacher to compete in the Sidewalk Chalk Art contest next Saturday.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with!  I promise, pictures will be taken!

Idle Wednesday

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Something odd.

I get the handicapped port o potty.  What I don't get it why it's on a military base, in a construction zone. (two places you don't see a whole lot of wheelchairs) Who out there is in a wheel chair?  We speculated that it may be for a construction worker that is metabolically challenged. We must have been in really good moods, because we were laughing about this for a long time.  Now that I look back at it, it's not really all that funny, just odd.

365 ( Osama Bin Laden is Dead, Now What?)

I'm not having the best day.  Everyone is cheering and happy that this evil man is dead, but it's not over.  I don't get why people don't realize that the instant the US confirmed Bin Laden's death, that his number two became number one.  The U.S. Military will have to continue the search for Al Qaeda leaders indefinitely.  That is, unless the government realizes that eliminating all of them is impossible.
I understand that it's exciting that the figurehead is gone.  The man that we were all told planned the attacks on 9/11 has been brought to justice, and while I think that him dying in this manner was the easiest way to deal with him, I still don't see it as a real victory.  News reports state that he had been in this compound for SIX years.  He's not been in a cave, hiding from our troops, scared for his life.  No.  He's been hiding in plain sight this whole time, IN ANOTHER COUNTRY.  Strange isn't it, that they found him in Pakistan, not Afghanistan?  It just seems to me that all of the soldiers who died in Iraq to "get" Saddam Hussein, and who died in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban all died for nothing.  If we had only waited, gathered intelligence, and sent out a strike force to get Bin Laden JUST LIKE THEY DID YESTERDAY, we might have not lost all of those people.  I am heartsick over it.  So, go ahead and cheer, but I'm going to be remembering our dead.  As I said earlier on my facebook note:

Do me a favor, don't forget that there are still two wars going on, and almost 10,000 Americans are dead because of what Osama Bin Laden started. I will cheer and rejoice when I know that my husband and my friends don't have to go back to the sandbox again. When military "brats" don't have to worry about whether mommy or daddy are coming home, and when Iraqi and Afghan civilians don't have to duck and cover on the way to the market anymore.

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On the edge

The city looks like it should just drop off into the water!  This is Chicago, from my airplane.  I was taken aback when I looked out my window because of the precariousness of the city.  Isn't it just like us modern folk to decide to build a huge city right up to, and in some cases right past, the water line?  From my bird's eye view it's down right scary.

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What did you eat for dinner last night?

I made home made taco pizza.  Crust from scratch, fresh veggies, fat free re-fried beans, and turkey burger.
Then after dinner, we watched tv and I made home made from scratch cocoa with home made whipped cream.  I spoiled us last night!

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*Clock* You've gotta love the internet.  You can find anything!

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The best part of being a mom.

These little moments are my favorite.  You're watching tv, and look over to see why the hubby hasn't laughed at the show in a bit, and there it is.  The cutest thing ever. In that moment, you aren't thinking about chores that need to get done, bills that have to get paid, or the homework that still needs checked.  All that goes through your mind is how much you love those two beautiful people who look so much alike, and how that tiny little smile on your husbands face so completely expresses how your heart just skipped a little beat.
When I look at it, I am shocked that the two of them are so still.  I should do a series of the shots I've taken of them in recent months.  Neither of them ever hold still long enough for me to get a good picture.  Especially when I'm trying to take one while they aren't paying attention.
I'd give anything to be able to keep these moments, and scrap the cleaning stuff.  Why is it that motherhood is so full of chasing, driving, cleaning, homework, lunch money and crazy outfits, and not so much of the Ah-ha, full circle, oh-so-cute, or "they really hear me" moments?  Is this really too much to ask?  ...I think it may be...

Idle Wednesday

Pickled Veggies!

Jay says that these don't qualify for Idle Wednesday, but seeing as I MADE them, I say they do.
The recipe is pretty simple. Just vinegar, spices, the okra and asparagus we bought at the open market,  and time. I used jars that I saved for just such an occasion, which is why they are different sizes and one is labeled "french onion".
The girls could only wait about twelve hours to crack one open, and that okra is so good!
I feel extra (modern) hippie today.  Pickling, reusing old jars, and blogging about it.  lol

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Shadow

Minnesota, American Red Cross, The Hilton, -30 degree weather, first Airplane trip alone.
I was supposed to have a companion on the trip to Mn, both of us going for volunteer training, and things of the like.  Instead my companion decided she couldn't go, so I was alone in a place I'd never been, surrounded by people I'd never met, and completely freaked out.  I decided to suck it up and make it work for me.  I got my camera out and took pictures of everything, including things that you wouldn't necessarily take a photo of while on a trip.  I love the reflection in the desk, the shadows cast by the sun, and the feeling of calm I feel when I look at it. Had I had my roommate there I wouldn't have been so freaked out about being in such a huge crowed of people, but I'm glad she flaked.  I wouldn't have learned anything, nor would I have been able to go ahead and freak out about being on a plane if she'd been there.  I now know I can figure out the huge airport, navigate that insanely pretentious  hotel, and survive the plane ride.  This means that when the idea of Alaska came up, I didn't hesitate.

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Graffiti

I didn't have to go far to find Jay's next theme.  Just to the creek in our back yard.  Instead of burying the sewer line under the creek, they made a "bridge"  with cement pillars and the pipe.  Ew.   Sometimes kids walk through, and sometime before we moved here, they left their mark.  Not the most interesting graffiti I've ever seen though.  I'm just not going to the part of town where it is.  At least, not with this camera strapped to my neck, or my wedding ring still on my finger!! 

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An old hurt

I wonder what it was that made these cuts so far up the tree?  They are well healed and eight feet or so up the trunk so I'd say maybe 6 years old? Miah's wild imagination said it was Wolverine.  Leave it to her.

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Anticipation!

This is our old house at Fort Campbell.
Do you see the paper chain that's draped around the walls twice?  The tail end of it goes down the hall, and almost all the way around to the kitchen.  Each one of those paper rings represents not only a single day, one for each day that Jay was deployed, but they also each represent the intense and incredible anticipation the four of us felt the entire deployment.
When I look at this picture that represents the beginning of a 15 month deployment, it seems so far away.  It was almost three years ago?  Did we actually DO that three times?  Are we going to have to do it again in the near future?  The feeling of panic creeps in a little bit, and I remember how impossible it seemed.  I feel so grateful to have had the past couple of years here with our little unit intact.

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One of these things is not like the others.

I got these last year at the Farmer's Market.  I drove past it the other day, and I saw that it is already open this season.  When Jay goes to get his High n Tight from Kathy, I'm headed over to get some green tomatoes.  I can't wait!

School Picture Time!

Obviously, Miah's pic was taken at school. I had no clue when picture day was, so Miah went rogue and did it all herself.  Laurel's I did. I hate paying for school pictures.  They are horribly expensive, and don't have any personality.  But what can you do? Here they print the photos out and send them all home for you to choose from and buy.  Then you have to give the rest back to them.  Ridiculous!  Also, not very "Green" of them.  What are they going to do with pictures of my kid?  This doesn't seem like a smart plan.

Speaking of green, Happy Earth Day!!!  What have you done for our planet today?   We've stopped using the dishwasher (Except this ONE time, because mom was here and it was more time effective.) I have a whole week of posts I did a couple of years ago, so feel free to peruse them if you are feeling especially earth friendly today.

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six

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What's in your fridge? -Kathy Jeffries Smith's idea!

1. Shrimp tempura (guilty pleasure, lots of points, but yummy)
2. Boca Burgers.  (They taste just like the burgers and Gene's Freeze back home. :)
3. Feta Cheese (My favorite kind of cheese, except Havarti)
4. Grape leaves (for making Dolmas)
5. Tahini (for making Hummus)
6. Chicken broth (just for Scotty!)
7. Hot pickle ( because I've been addicted since I was a baby)
8. Fresh Ginger (in a tube.  Trying out a new product.  Usually it would be the whole fresh root)
9. Parsnips (these are awesome in potato soup, or mashed potatoes)
10. Okra (The kids are going to pickle them)
11. Kiwi
12. Asparagus  (Laurel's favorite)

I grabbed all the things out of my fridge that I knew my BF Sheila would make fun of me for having.  Especially the chicken broth.  I made Sheila and Scotty mashed potatoes using chicken broth rather than butter and milk, and they HATED them!  I still get made fun of. 
So, are my items unusual?  What's in your fridge??

365

An Accomplishment.

Jay is always saying that he is who he is, because of me.  So, now I'm going to officially take credit for the guy who:

1. Buys flowers for no reason.
2. Has NEVER left the toilet seat up.
3. Runs to the grocery store at the drop of a hat if I need him to.
4. Does chores on weekends to help me out.
5. Makes coffee every morning.
6. Makes pancakes every Sunday.
7. Can sometimes hear me calling him in my head. He used to call randomly from Iraq just after I thought to myself how much I needed to hear his voice.  He still does it now, but I just need it to happen less, now that he's home. The other day I was watching "Army Wives" (don't give me grief!) and I was thinking about when a soldier died like on the show, I just wanted to be able to see Jay's face, and talk to him...and maybe five minutes later he called to tell me how long he was going to work out, so he'd be home in time to get the kids with me.  He hasn't called home in the middle of the work day in a million years.  Interesting.  And awesome.
8. Is constantly trying to improve himself by taking college classes, so that one day he can be a teacher.
9. Is completely and totally loyal to the purpose of his job.  He doesn't play the "games" he just puts his head down and does his work, because he loves it.  I can't really take credit for this one though, but it still makes him awesome.
10. Has completely overcome his childhood, and is who he is despite it all.  I think I can take credit for a little bit of this, because I expect him to be better, and therefore he is.  ;)

No Excuses!

I have been very good today.  I signed up for the eTools on WW.com and got the ap on my phone.  I ate a good breakfast, not too many points, and it kept me going all afternoon.  I ate some Progresso soup for lunch, and an apple, also pretty decent. The problem is that every day around 3 I get hungry.  That's about an hour away now, and I have been sucking on this water bottle for a while trying to stave off the snack craving I know is coming. 
I've run into a couple of glitches.  Did you know that Diet Pepsi has 75mg of sodium per bottle?  Not cool! Also, the cruelest twist of fate.  Tea has sodium in it.  I drink about a gallon of unsweetened iced tea a day.  The water here tastes funny to me, so I don't drink it, and I refuse to buy bottled water.  Tea is my life.  I have no clue how I'm going to keep track!  It's a small amount, but as much as I drink it will add up fast.  
As I was grocery shopping this morning, I was playing a little guessing game.  How much sodium will there be??  I quickly got disgusted with the answers.  I like to make my own pasta sauce, but there are NO low sodium tomato choices. I may have to start canning my own tomatoes, because the ready made sauce has tons of sodium per 1/2 cup.  Surprisingly pasta, which I would have guessed had tons of salt, has none.  Really?  Barred for life now are pickles, kalamata olives, pickled peppers, ANY processed stuff, almost ALL soups, lunch meat, and on and on. Even the "heart healthy" low sodium choices are FULL of sodium. I don't know what the hell people eat!  I need some guidance.  We usually eat good, home made food...but this is crazy. Is being healthy worth eating nothing but steamed broccoli and baked chicken?  Do I really want to live that long anyway? 

I have been craving crunchy salty greasy potato chips and Publix's organic salsa all day.  Instead, I'll have another swig of tea and get ready to get the kids.  After school we are all 6 going for a mile walk.  Dobby and Harley almost peed their pants when I got the harnesses out. Wish me luck, and willpower!

Idle Wednesday

365

What did you have for breakfast?

Laurel and Miah made pannekoeken for breakfast.  I made the whipped cream.  Yum! (Thanks Sara, for sharing the idea!) This is mostly fruit, and while it doesn't look diet friendly, I can fit it in because of my 49 weekly flex points.  No salt added!

Not again! Well...ya, again.

I hate to confess, but I feel like I have to.  I stopped going to Weight Watchers.  I had sort of a melt down.  While trying to learn and get used to the new system, I also had to try to pay attention to my salt intake and cholesterol levels, and I got overwhelmed.  Oprah says that when you need to learn a lesson, the Universe whispers to you.  If you don't listen, it starts yelling.  I got yelled at this morning in the form of GMA's health contributor, talking about salt intake and what too much will do to your body.  My doctor had told me pretty much the same thing.  My body has been telling me too.  I was so swollen this morning from the Chinese food we ate in honor of Jay's birthday, that I had gained seven pounds.  Some of that I'm sure are more fat cells, but I know for sure some was water.  My fingers hurt, and my ankles are swollen from too much yard work and excessive salt.  Damn General Taos. 
So today I went back to see my friends at WW.  Anita noticed, and said she missed me.  A couple of others mentioned that I was back...including one fellow army wife (ret.).  They make me feel good.  I get the feeling that they actually notice when I'm gone, and they let me know it's great that I'm back.

I am fully committed to this.  I AM going to loose some weight, but more importantly I will NOT die of a salt induced heart attack. 
I've done it before, and dammit I will do it again!  Do me a favor, AND HOLD ME TO IT, OKAY?

365

Carefree

It's wonderfully warm outside, and  nature is emerging full force.  As I was sitting in my chair on the back porch, this fuzzy little guy ambled by.  I was staring at him, wondering what he was going to grow into, where he was off to before I picked him up, and what he thought was going on when I picked him up.  His life is probably fairly carefree, I thought.  What would it be like to be him for a day? 


I found out what species he is, just for fun.

365

Jay's Birthday (Last year)

This year we went to the zoo...last year the museum to see dinosaurs, and the year before we went to the aquarium.  Where to next year babe?
I got Jay his own Kindle this year, but it had to get returned b/c it didn't have the whispernet/get a book anywhere you are in the world feature. Who knew that the cheaper one would have the wifi instead?  It made me mad.  I hate returning stuff, and so now instead of being able to read on his kindle today, he has to wait for another week.  Bah!!!

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Expensive

Dobby was absolutely the most expensive thing we had ever bought.  Up until then, anyway.  I'd never paid for a dog before, and it seems nuts, but I wanted a cuddly little pup, and Jay was all for it.  I was sure I wanted to when we went to see her.  Jay carried her home and there she sat, in his arms, for hours.  Chet was curious, and then he fell in love.  They were perfect together.  She's a little bit of a punk every once in a while, but she was worth it.  Jay still swears that he hates little dogs, but you should hear him baby talk to her....

New Header

Laurel used the Photoshop to retouch the header photo.  Isn't it cool?  I love how the colors pop.

I almost forgot to check the blog to see if my 365 pictures posted today. I accidentally hit save instead of post, so I almost skipped a day! yikes!  I hope you like the photos.
Night all!!