Meet Flip..or Flipey as the kids call him...

Wow...did I get lucky when a little girl passed this cute little pug puppy to me in a pet store in Port Jeff Village 13 years ago! She was holding him when her mom called her, and just asked me to hold him. Well, he snorted in my ear...and I ran for my checkbook! Took him to the vet the next day for the whole, check out my new puppy checkup, and I was told that he was not fit for sale. This means, that I was charged for a pure breed dog but shouldn't have been. Flip is a pure breed black Chinese pug, but he was the runt of the litter, no double twirl in the tail, eyes were crooked and he had too many teeth, so I could never show him or breed him. She gave me a letter stating he was not fit for the sale price. I went back, thinking I would be refunded some of the $850 I spent on him...nope, they told me to pick out a new dog. Ok...as if within 3 days I had not truly fallen in love with him! I kept him.
Well, 13 years later, I can tell you...Flip is the sweetest, calmest BEST family dog ever! Sure, he smells now that he is old, and he has hardly any teeth, but he has never been anything but the best pet a family with 4 kids could ask for!
Flip is aging so much now, he can no longer walk around our block with us, we have to put him in a wagon 1/2 way around if we take him, he no longer sleeps upstairs with us since he can no longer go up nor down the stairs without us carrying him. He sleeps almost all day and night.
Here he is straight from the groomer this week...when the groomer told me...hands down, best pets (Josie the cat was being groomed, too) he has ever groomed!!! Dave & I take credit for that! LOL

He could never ever be replaced...he is Flip!

Mothers Day

You have to love Mothers Day when you have 4 kids!! You have to...it's the only day you have an all day excuse for your kids to be totally pleasant all day, and do as you say or ask! Sounds pretty selfish...right? 

Also...it is probably the only day where you get to do what you want to do...still sounds selfish! LOL Who cares, I will take it!
Every year, the kids make me stay in bed (whoo-hoo...slept in!) Hotel Ellenwood (Sarah) calls to tell me what they have available for breakfast (what Dave has written down on the ellenwood hotel check). I place my order (this year

was a turkey BLT on whole wheat with fresh fruit, V8 and coffee). I read the paper (yup the whole paper while in bed!). They all bring breakfast up on a tray with all the little gifts and cards that they have made. This is absolutely the best part of the day (not selfish, see?). The kids are always proud of what they have made and love to see me loving it!


So this year, I had wanted to venture to Martha Clara for my free glass of wine...but honestly...woke up that morning not wanting to be in a crowd. So, we headed out in the yard for a little, while I cleaned and fed the ducks, and Dave helped me set up a new hose and sprinkler in the front garden. We put all the new mothers day plants there, but I will plant later during Andy's nap).

We then headed out east to the Elizabeth Morton bird sanctuary. We walked, and talked, we met a couple walking with their cockatoos, fed some birds and even some chipmunks. We picnicked an early dinner then hiked our way back snapping a few great family pictures (my ultimate gift...4 kids all smiling!). We stopped for an ice cream cone, then got home at bedtime! It was perfect! It felt like the first non-rushing and running around day that we have had in a long time!


PS...did I mention that I did absolutely no cleaning on this day (well, unless you count the duck pen...LOL)!

Happy Mothers Day to you! Hope it was as great as mine!

My dear friend....

Irene and her totally supportive hubby.

I have this friend, she is absolutely amazing! I adore her...for her humor, her sensibility, her kindness and her strength. See, this friend has been battling cancer since she was 28 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo a mastectomy. A young mother with 2 children...a young healthy woman. Her life drastically changed from that moment (I will not personal too many details here).

A few years later, when expecting her 3rd child, she found out that her cancer had returned, immediate surgery was necessary, which meant an 11 week preterm delivery of her baby. (The baby was luckily born healthy and is now a beautiful 4 year old!)

Irene has continued to battle cancer for the last 4 years, having the cancer relapse over and over in different parts of her body. She fights this disease every single day, with daily trips to the doctors and repeat treatments of radiation and chemotherapy.

Irene with just some of us ladies who adore her!

Many of you, my friends and family do not know her personally, but believe me, she is an absolutely beautiful person. She is realistic about the disease and knows  the hardships she has had to overcome and the hardships that still lie ahead, yet she continues every day to fight this disease. She does not use the disease as an excuse for anything, she continues to live her life to the fullest (with many medical limitations due to her disease) and also continues to be a lovely wife and mother for her family.

She recently was a guest speaker for Mather Hospital's Victory Day, please see the Video here. Tomorrow morning she is walking with Mather for Families Walk for Hope with her daughters!

If you are reading this, I BEG of you to click this link, and pledge just $5 or $10 for her cause. If I have just 20 readers donate $10 (the price you will pay for your Starbucks coffee & bagel on your way to work), then we will have helped to raise $200...just like that!

A little laugh for you...

Tonight Aunt Kerry came for a quick visit. She just returned from a solo trip to Barcelona! She brought the girls little mini flamenco dresses. Rachel immediately put hers on and asked me to take a quick pic:
Then she said "Mom, you know what tomorrow is?" "What Rachel?"
"Cinco Tomorrow! So, this dress is super perfect, should I wear it on my field trip to the dinosaur museum?"  

Then, at swim lessons tonight, we unfortunately had to pass an elderly woman (about 75) showering, except unlike everyone else who showers in their swimsuits, she was bare....
Sarah...a bit shocked asked me "Is that legal?!!"


Hope this little post gave you a laugh!

Giggle.

Oh my...when uninterrupted, these 3 are so funny together...and all you hear are silly sounds and giggles!!!

LOVE !!!!

Josie...

This is the kitty we adopted 1 year ago...she totally picked us at the kitty shelter. The only cat that the hubby is not allergic to...so we all know she was just meant to be a part of this family! She is silly when she plays, sweet wen she is cuddling. Oh...and we know how much she loves is, becuase she leaves little rodents at the front and back doors a few times a week...sometimes we are so loved by her, that she leaves them indoors for us!

We spent the entire weekend outdoors...

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend...and I wish I could be writing to say that we took the kids to a park for a bike ride and picnic or something really fun...but I am not writing that. Instead, we spent the entire weekend in our yard, front and back catching up on spring yard work. The grass, bamboo and weeds have been growing like crazy!!!!! Our youngest is 2, and for the first time...there is no "baby"; in 9.5 years there has always been a baby to keep me from a full days work. I just may get some real work done this year!!!


Anyway...if I get any "me free time" in the beginning of the spring summer or fall seasons, you will find me squeezing in time to garden or weed in my fav gardening clogs shoes and a pair of garden gloves. 

I do not mind the actual labor of yrad work, I actually enjoy it a bit...I love leaving the house, then coming back and noticing all of our hard work. We unfortunately bought our home where the prior owners did not upkeep on anything, and it seems that everything needed work...slowly, with 4 kids, we are chipping away at each task! And one day, when we actually hire someone else to do it for us...maybe I will even miss it, Dave will not!!! :)


PS~ The kids had a great weekend, they played with the ducks and filled the pool for them, they jumped, jumped and jumped even more on the trampoline, they helped garden, weed & mow the yards, they rode bikes and ended the evenings with an outdoor fire and marshmallows!