Why do I love my dog?

Power out for several days.
Garbage compactor not functional.
Garbage bag containing all manner of disgustion left out because it doesn't really belong anywhere.
Family leaves home to seek running water and fresh food.
Family returns home to this shocking mess.
Mother cleans it. With windex and paper towel because there is no water. And no vacuum to suck up the loose bits. I was not thinking man's-best-friend thoughts.

But I still love the old girl.

(kona's alibi checks out clean, she was kenneled while we were out)

More Snow and More Snow days

Lots of snow, lots of fun! There have been so many snow days and so many "opportunities" to shovel and clear walkways and even the roof! Uriah was the only person brave enough to get on the roof, then Adam got up there too and the two of them made quite a difference in the roof. Uriah left our house to go to Jim and Emily's to clear their roof as well. Oh to be so young, motivated and strong :)

Maura and Landon had fun with the crazy dog. Kona loves the snow, poor Saff doesn't.

Dad and Adam working hard;

Adam and Gord both have the same Mac, gord and I both have the same phone and case. I think I need to Bedazzle Gordie's so that he can pickk his stuff out easier.

Dave made his way through the waist deep snow to the back door, which had not been shoveled yet. Kona made quite the entrance:

One of David's favorite foods is "cheese stuck to the pan" and he makes it himself. Here is the sequence of events.

I've included some pics from around the house. It's been wonderful to be home on all these snow days, even if I have been working at home here for most of them. I love being here in my own space with my own people and really living here.

A christmas gift from Beth- what a special gift and a big surprise. Lots of great recipes in there too.

I'd like some more of this please.

How much do I LOVE my pink Bible? LOVE it a million as Landon would say. Isn't it pretty? I made the little bookmark in a meeting at the Saugus conference during a slow segment, shall we say. Maura taught me how. She opened up her little bag of tricks and had all the embroidery floss, scissors and Scotch tape to tape it down with. Seriously, so CUTE!

My dear old favorite dog. I heart this dog so much. I wish she wasn't turning 9.

From Etsy seller thewheatfield, we always need a reminder.

Sweet sunshine

49 shots of Uriah clearing the roof, Adam is some of them too. Thanks Uriah, you are awesome!

Quote of the week:

Landon to Maura: "You're treating me like people treated Chicken Little."

Summer shapes up.

The boys left today for PEI. Their departure was a whirlwind because we left packing until this morning and I did not get my traditional picture of the kids. I was sad that I forgot, just because I was distracted. But they did give me their big hugs.

After they left we went to say good bye to our pediatrician because he retired today. He has been their doctor since we moved here ten years ago. Lucky duck, he is retiring to Maine.


I then had to drop off a friend of David's who slept over last night. Or should I say, was at our house all night. At three AM, Landon and Maura came into our room to tattle that David and Brian were pranking them. Brian was writing on her nose and David was tying Landon's feet together. When we got up to investigate, both defendants were "sleeping" in their beds. I peeked in on Adam and saw that he was covered in stuffed animals; his lampshade; and a lava lamp but he was sleeping soundly. I told Dave and his friend to go to bed, fully expecting compliance. I guess I was born yesterday! For the next half hour, those random items piled on Adam kept falling of him as he moved in his sleep and Gord and I lay wide awake surpisingly amused at the nocturnal adventures of Dave and his friend. But they were still awake at 4 with their light back on, they were building things in the room. But when I made them go back to bed that time, they really did and slept until 9 when I made David wake up to pack for PEI. As expected, he was not happy this morning.

After we dropped David's friend off, I had to go into the office (even though this is one of my work from home days) and promised the M&L that if they did not interrupt me then I could be done very quickly and then take them to the park for lunch. They were perfect and whispered the whole time so we hit the park. It was 86* and humid and they wilted fast, within a half hour we were on the road home.

We stopped for ice cream- Boston Red Sox cups for ice cream.

Little soccer player:

Earlier this month:

Landon helping vacuum out the ashes from the fireplace so we could put the pretty candelabra in that spot instead.

And....Saff, so cute with Gordo.

Hope you are having a great summer so far!

Have you met Maya?

Maya is Maria's little Cavachon puppy.
You would love her instantly if you had the chance to meet her.

Saff is a little perplexed by the new tiny animals in the house. She stands over the mouse's cage and watches every move. Little does the mouse know that one push of that big old nose and the cage would be upside down. But my Saffy would never do that, she is too perfect.




And this...doesn't it look yummy and warm? Cheap tricks...Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in a can. Makes for big smiles on a Saturday morning.

A picture of yummy food followed immediately by a photo of a domesticated rodent. I am sorry for the lack of segue, but it's not something I specialize in.

He's waving at you with his little paw/claw/talons/what ARE those? But his ears are cute. The tail, eyes and claws are his downfall for me. He rolls around the house in this ball. 'Nuff said.

To make up for the mouse pic- here is your dose of beauty for the day. All ready for the day at Easter conference. She looked so precious in this dress and said she got a jillion compliments.

Knight of Americans

Look closely at the pilgrim in the Mayflower. No, it's not Joseph in his multi-colored coat- it's Landon! He made this Mayflower boat in school, using his amazing "crocodile cutting skills". Isn't it wonderful? He loves this boat and told me all about the Pilgrims coming across the ocean. I asked him how he knew all of this and he said "My teacher telled me." She also telled him that they came and met the Knight of Americans. Maura looked at him funny and he smacked his head with his hands and said "I mean Native Americans." Then he told us that the Pilgrims left their country because the King and Queen made bad decisions.

See my dog? I think she's beautiful and wonderful. She is getting old for her breed. When you get a puppy Great Dane and have to carry her up the stairs because her legs are too short you aren't really thinking about the fact that she will get huge and fiesty for a couple of years, stay huge but get lazy for a couple more years and then be an old dog....really soon. She has lots of white hair on her face now. She is the laziest thing with a beating heart that you have ever seen. In a good way, of course. She does do her job really, she pulls her weight around here, and that is to be our amazing dog- sit on our laps (ouch) and bark at nothing, eat and drink (but not things off the floor) and intimidate nice people that come to the door.





I came across a checkbook yesterday that had some Landon quips written on the back of it, apparently ones that I thought of while driving. They are from August.

He was explaining to me that jellyfish are the bumblebees of the ocean and stingrays are the hornets of the ocean. I thought that was quite a concept for him to put together but as I write it I wonder if it is a Spongebob element. Cute regardless.......

Also in August....At Aunt Holly's cottage he was looking at a painting of a mountain scene on a wall. He told his little cousin "Ryan, did you know that pictures are a shortcut to another place?" Seriously, I love that.

When bad things happen to good people.

Cat in the Hat is a favorite of Landon's. Here he tenderly communicates with the Cat. Secrets are exchanged as birds chirp quietly in the distance, as though they understand the intimacy of this moment.


Just a few feet away, the dog rests and regally admires her expansive view. The wind gently wisps past her ears, scents of springtime bring recollection of her youth spent in this field.



Moments later, her reverie is broken. An instinctive awareness that something is amiss, she is on alert, her tired eyes widen and she senses her doom.



Bearing down on her is the Child, with the Cat, historically proven to be a very disruptive force. Swooping, they aim to land on her aging back.



She faces a difficult choice, knowing the outcome will be painful yet necessary. In a moment of inspiring emotional strength she lifts her long legs and moves out of the landing Child's way. He flies to the ground, dismayed. She looks back at the boy, regretting that she had to hurt him in this way.



Small and fragile, the Child is confused by the beloved Dog's behavior. Sometimes the rug just gets pulled out from under you.
He dejectedly mutters, "I didn't see that coming."



Isn't your heart touched by his misfortune?