Administrative Professional's Day

We had a blast here yesterday! The Town took all of to lunch at a local Italian restaurant. We overate and laughed A LOT! My boss gave me a beautiful jewelled business card holder, a sweet dragonfly key ring and a digital photo album. That thing is great! It is similar in size to a credit card and holds 58 digital photos! Way cool!! All in all - a pretty good day! Hey - I love presents! ;)

My Poor Neglected Blog

I haven't been here much lately. It seems there has been a lot going on but not enough to report, kwim?
Dad had to have open-heart surgery which required a trip down South. Thank the Good Lord - the surgery went well and he is home recovering well. The trip down & back was uneventful and a pleasure to visit with my siblings. I also enjoyed seeing my Aunt that I hadn't seen since Dad's last open-heart surgery 12 years ago! She is just as beautiful as ever! But I sure missed the family while I was gone.
DD is doing great. Her morning sickness is finally subsiding and my grandbaby is growing nicely. Her doctor said that the baby is healthy so far. I will keep them in my prayers and ask all of you to do the same.
I have kind of been in a slump with the cardmaking but need to "get busy"! I have a minimum of 8 cards to make for the month of May!
The new living arrangements are going well! We are so enjoying having the kids at home! Family meals, family fun nights, watching movies together, getting to know them better, etc. It is all working out better than we expected. Our new son in law is quickly becoming the son we never had. Good choice DD!
We have started camping for the year. We hope to go at least once per month. Poor Odie really doesn't like camping, but he is getting better. I don't think he will ever love it, but maybe he will at least accept it.
Sadly, we still miss Boomer. I guess we always will. People at our local campground always ask for him when we go. Many campers have grown to love that old boy over the years. They are all sad when they learn of his death.
Anyway, that's a very condensed version of what has been going on in my world. I will try to keep my blog updated more regularly in the future.
Thanks for stopping by!

Not Homeless

This picture really pulled at my heart strings. It tells a myriad of stories if you have imagination!

Happiness Is...

Dear Lord;

The Dognamic Duo's 12/12/120 Tour

What if someone wanted to prove that they could drive to any state and in the space of a few hours easily find, photograph, and videotape a minimum of 10 dogs spending their lives at the end of a chain? And what if they decided to test this theory by going on the road on a whirlwind 12 state tour, spending only 1 day per state, including finding the dogs, driving to the next state, securing lodging, and hopefully speaking, meeting media, and creating videos? And what if at the end of each day they uploaded pictures and videos of their findings in that state on that day for the nation to share in the truth of what is going on in our country’s backyards?

And what if one day two women decided to make all these 'what ifs' a reality? The result would be The Dognamic Duo's 12/12/120 Tour.

The brainchild of DDB founder Tammy Grimes, the road tour idea has been festering for over a year; now she and DDB public liaison director Dawn Ashby have decided to put the plan into action under the tour name of The Dognamic Duo's 12/12/120 Tour!

Here's the plan: April 5th Tammy will fly to St. Louis, Missouri, where she will meet up with Dawn Ashby. There they will pick up a car, drive into Missouri to a likely location, and commence the 12 state tour bright and early the morning of the 6th.

The intention of the tour and the subsequent pictorial and video footage is to show how prevalent chaining and penning are in the U.S., educate the nation that it is common in all states, and put forth the idea that it is indeed something that must be stopped; that it is not humane and not an acceptable way to house and keep Man's Best Friend.

They will be speaking to caretakers of chained and penned dogs, passing out treats, collars and leashes, educational materials and fencing applications, and seeking local help for situations that appear to be illegal, as well as engaging the public through speaking and media alerts.

12 Days, 12 States, 120 Chained Dogs
Day 1: April 6th, Missouri
Day 2: April 7th, Arkansas
Day 3: April 8th, Lousiana
Day 4: April 9th, Mississippi
Day 5: April 10, Alabama
Day 6: April 11, Georgia
Day 7: April 12, South Carolina
Day 8: April 13, North Carolina
Day 9: April 14, Tennessee
Day 10: April 15, Kentucky
Day 11: April 16, Virginia
Day 12: April 17, West Virginia

Isn't this awesome! This information is from the Dogs Deserve Better web site. Please check it out!

Check out my Slide Show!

Champs March 2008

We had our annual Horse Shoe Tournament with the Wilkins and the Stroessners! And for the first time - the Stroessners didn't win! Sorry P&P!

WE WON! WE WON!!

Here we are accepting the trophy! What a happy day!

If a Dog was a teacher:

If a Dog was a teacher, you would learn things like:

-When loved ones come home, always run to greet them

-Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride

-Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstacy

-Take naps

-Stretch before rising

-Run, romp and play daily

-Thrive on attention and let people touch you

-Avoid biting when a simple growl will do

-On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass

-On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree

-When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body

-Delight in the simple joy of a long walk

-Eat with gusto and enthusiasm

-Stop when you have had enough

-Be loyal. Never pretend to be somethin gyou're not

-If you want what lies buried, dig until you find it

-When someone is having a bad day, be silent and sit close by

Bed & Breakfast

We are going camping this weekend! YAY!! Our very own version of a Bed & Breakfast! lol It will be incredible to have a few days away from "real life"! And one of the best parts about camping is that DH does almost all of the cooking! All I have to do is chop veggies and I LOVE TO CHOP! Wierd, I know. Last year for Valentine's Day, DH gave me two awesome chef's knives. That was one of my favorite gifts EVER!
Everyone have a safe and happy Easter weekend! Hugs & God's Blessings to you!

First Day of Spring 2008

Today is the first day of Spring 2008! Rita's is giving away free italian ice today. As cold and windy as it is, I don't think I want an "ice" dessert today.

We are leaving to go camping tonight. Even if it's cold, it should still be fun! No work! No kids! Maybe I'll get to go fishing! My new fishing rod and tackle Bob gave me for Christmas is just screaming to be used!

Happy Spring to all! Maybe the weekend will be warmer.

New cards

Birthday card for brother and Sympathy card for friend who lost her cat.

30th Birthday card

I made a humourous birthday card for a coworker who turned 30. She thought it was hilarious!

I used the Diamonds Rubber Stamps CD. It has the funniest images! Besides, I get to color again! YAY!

Our Dream Vacation - NOT!

Just thinking about taking a nice vacation at a beach condo...

Mean People Suck!

One day this week, I saw someone use a bb gun to shoot a pretty chocolate lab that was loose and ran in their yard. The thing that makes me angriest is that the dog WAS NOT aggressive! In fact, when it saw the man it ran away. It was just curious, as dogs are, and was sniffing around the property. I was so angry that I called the police. Of course, THAT did a lot of good! (NOT)! Anyway, I just can't understand how some people can be so mean! The poor dog made loud heartbreaking noises when he shot it. It absolutely broke my heart! I even got in my car and tried to find it. But I guess it either went home or into hiding. I wish I knew who owned the dog. I am sure they are upset by an injury to their furbaby.

I went home that night and gave Odie lots of extra love! I promised him that he would never suffer again at the hands of a human! People who are cruel to animals are no better than murderers! Just my humble opinion here.

I just needed to vent for a few minutes, and where better to do that than my own blog, right?!? Thanks for listening. And PLEASE - be kind to animals! :)

Man & Wife

This is the newlyweds coming out of the church yesterday! Our little girl is now a wife. The wedding turned out beautifully for not having much time to plan (2 weeks!). I had a lot of family & friends who stepped up to the plate at the last minute to help pull it off! For them I am so grateful!
For the happy couple, I wish you many years of happiness and joy! I am so very proud of you both! Remember, marriage is a lot of work, you must be very strong when the going gets tough! But you can make it! Just remember why you fell in love. Never forget the things about each other that you love and admire. The rest will fall into place as you learn to share your hopes and dreams.

Dogs Deserve Better!

Please check out this site.

Dogs should never be chained or tied up! If you have a dog - love it or give it up!

http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org

Just a Dog - NOT

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog." Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day. If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise." "Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. "Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human." So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog." just smile, because they "just don't understand." " It Came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart.If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are"

Lancaster, PA

I guess it's the cold, dreary weather we're having (rain, snow, ice, cold - YUCK) but I've been think a lot about the Cozy Crop House in Lancaster, PA. 7 of us cardmaking gals met up there. Laurie (flee57), Monica(moenica37), Joanne(stampgoddess), Jeanne(jeanne), Shari(sam517), Sherry(simplysherry from SS) and myself all met there. Colleen(mommycol) was supposed to join us and had to cancel at the last minute. It was WONDEFUL! We went to the Good n Plenty family style amish resturant (and ate too much). We went to the Arts & Crafts warehouse (where I got my Prismacolr pencils!). The house included one giant scrapbook room where we all had our own station and we could leave our projects out and go back to them whenever the urge hit us! It also had a small kitchen, where Shari made us some wonderful corn salsa! It had 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms (1 had a VERY squeaky toilet!). We had munchies and wine! We are all looking forward to going again this year and hope to have a few more join us too! It was a fun time for all and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in scrapping and in Amish country!

Hopefully, reminiscing about our good times will help me get through another dreary day on Delmarva! Thanks for indulging me!

One Week To Go!

One week from today, Samantha is getting married!!

It's going to be a busy 7 days! Picking up the gown, the flowers, the rehearsal, the cake, the license... Whew! Not to mention making sure that everyone knows of the new date and time. But in 7 days, my little girl will be a wife! Corey, if you read this, you better treat her right!

In addition to gaining a son, I will be gaining a sweet little gandbaby in about 7 months! Yep! I'm going to be a Gamma! That makes Bob a PopPop! That's kind of funny in itself! Samantha was sweet enough to invite me along for her sonogram on Monday. That should be exciting! We should find out if there is one or two little ones on the horizon. Corey is a twin, as was Bob's grandmother (God rest her soul). I only wish MomMom could have been around to see her greatgrandchild.

Above the change in plans and the rush to get everything done, I wish only happiness for this young couple. Marriage is not easy, it's a lot of work. Keep your chins up kids, I know you're up for the challenge! And we will be there all along the way, if and when you need us!