Namaste

Don't you just hate it when you have to pause your yoga workout to open a jar of pickles for someone?

Maybe it's just me.

Thanks for Reminding Me

I forgot I had a blog.

Prized Possessions

You're looking at something very dear to Cambryn's heart, her blankie. Yes, she's almost ten years old now but sometimes a girl needs the comfort that only a beloved possession can provide.

The blankie started out as a crib sheet sewn by my mom and this is what's left of it. If it looks a little knotty, that's because the delicate pieces have been tied together. It's hard to imagine there's enough fabric left to do any good, but when it's called into action it can still work magic.

Collin's beloved possession was a stuffed toy dog named Brownie, which he still has. Actually, he has Brownie II, because Brownie I got left at the Gaylord Palms hotel in Florida when Collin was five. We returned for Brownie just a short time later but evidently someone else had already claimed him. Trust me when I say that wasn't the highlight of our summer vacation.

I persuaded Collin to take a picture with Brownie and he humored me with one stipulation: "For the record, Collin no longer sleeps with Brownie every night."
He's in middle school. He has a reputation to uphold.

That Crazy Santa

We've hit a snafu this Christmas. Santa brought one of these to Cambryn:

but instead of putting it under the tree, it seems he wanted to play a game of hide-and-seek. He hid the gift somewhere in our house and we need to find it.

We've searched the most obvious hiding place -- my closet -- to no avail. Santa's really making us work for it! If you have any suggestions, please help us out. Cambryn would love to play her new games and I would like to feel better about myself Christmas.

Merry Christmas

O Christmas Trees

If these trees don't put you in the holiday spirit, I give up.



I would've taken more, but the kids were fussing and my husband was losing his patience.

Trees courtesy of God. Lights by Chesapeake Energy.

Coco

Several weeks ago we tragically lost our sweet Angel. The accident happened in a flash and Angel never suffered, yet we suffered her loss terribly. We were devastated. We were struggling with our grief. We were barely able to stay at home without her.

Finally I had no choice. I started looking for another puppy...

and this photo caught my eye.

She was a liver pepper parti mini schnauzer, just like Angel, and she even looked a lot like Angel. Too much, perhaps?

We decided on her sister...


who was also beautiful but darker, with her own distinctive look.

After waiting a couple of weeks until she was weaned, I drove to a neighboring state to pick her up. As soon as I got there I excitedly scooped her up, so happy to finally hold another puppy of our own, and then I saw her sister. The one who reminded me of Angel.

It was sooo hard to leave one behind. I even called my husband to see if I could bring both of them home with me. He, however, was far away and somewhat objective so I reluctantly left with just one of them.

Meet Coco.

We're so thrilled to have her. She's sweet, playful, snuggly, and very good medicine for healing hearts. We will take the very best care of her that we can and we look forward to many, many happy years together.

I Mean...Really!

Collin can shoot basketballs all day long.

My Place

Whenever my husband visits my hometown, this is his go-to restaurant. Great food, great prices. It's been one of my favorites since I was a kid.

There used to be another barbecue place in town called Slick's, which gained some notoriety after a mention in Playboy back in the '70s. It was well-known for its food, but I was too afraid to go there because of all the Slick stories that circulated around town.

Once a friend tried to use a coupon with his meal and Slick didn't want to honor it so when my friend protested that the coupon hadn't expired yet, Slick quietly pulled a pistol out from behind the counter and laid it next to the cash register.

Not to mention that the waitstaff would swat flies with the same rags they cleaned the tables.

My Place has always been my favorite.

Criss Cross Applesauce

Cambryn has an interesting sleep position that people find hard to believe, so I took some photographic evidence. These were taken at the New Mexico cabin during a nap she took after a seven hour hike.


She's a young thing and didn't get all stiff from all that climbing, unlike others who will remain unmentioned.



If you want to try this at home, sit criss cross Indian style, fold your arms across your body, bend forward at the waist until your face rests comfortably on the bed, then sleep as long as possible.



As you can see, she also sits criss cross when she's awake. This was taken at the peak of our seven hour hike. I think she was bird-watching, hoping for a large eagle to swoop down and carry her to the bottom so she wouldn't have to hike one more blasted step.

That didn't happen so she deserved a good nap.