{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} -- Furbabies edition

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Every Thursday, at Like Mother, Like Daughter!


Today we start with REAL:
--Today was supposed to be the 'Rissa Edition', but things have changed and I've decided to do a 'Furbabies' edition. You see, this morning, my sweet friend Donna had to put down her sweet puppy Emma Claire. Two years ago Emma Claire was liberated from a Puppy Mill. When she was rescued she had tumors in her mammary glands that were removed and it was assumed that she was cancer free. She was adopted, then later my friend Donna got her. Donna loves her pups well! Over the weekend, Donna text me and said she was going to the ER vet with sweet Emma, who was just having some troubles. We went, they did x-rays...and found the cancer had returned and metastasized in her lungs. We were hoping to get her comfortable and give her some comfortable 'last days'. However, yesterday evening she took a turn for the worst and this morning it was time. It doesn't matter how many times you see it, experience it, it never gets easier! In honor of sweet Emma's passing - I give you 'the furbaby edition':

Here is a picture of Emma and Mercy from the dog park over the summer.

Funny:
Oh the many faces of my sweet Lily! I like to call this one 'home dawg'.

Happy:
My girls...in my lap...le big sigh!

Pretty:
Aren't they just too sweet? Love our girls and are so thankful for them and for our sweet Auntie Donna who loves them like they are her own. Mercy will be going over to her Auntie Donna's to snuggle her and help her feel better. While I will miss her, I love that I have such a good friend in Donna and that my girls love her as much as she loves them.

With that my friends, I say "Hug your fur babies tonight and be extra grateful for them!"

Also, Alan, Candice, and I will be walking (running) for SPCA this weekend. Our team name is the PuppyMill Pirates in honor of sweet Emma. Feel free to donate to the SPCA to help us out!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} - The Ally edition

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life~
~Every Thursday, at Like Mother Like Daughter~


Pretty

Last night we got to go play with some new friends for a little while. Ally discovered that they had a lovely collection of books and Kathy snapped this shot of the little bookworm! Lovely!


Happy

I picked Ally up from daycare recently and when I looked in my mirror I saw this happy face singing and chatting away. So...at the next stop light I snapped a quick pick of the happy girl. This smile can light up a room! And it makes me happy when she's so happy!



Funny

I admit that this is kind of an old picture. And I know it's a bit fuzzy. But it makes me giggle EVERY. TIME. This kid is so full of personality! She's a hoot and a holler and we sure love her!

Real

This is Mr. Pete reading to the girls. We love the Scheibmeirs and are loving getting to know them better and spending time with them. We've had dinner with them several times recently, and Kathy has meet the girls before, but this was the first time for them to meet Pete...and he was a hit! He sat on the floor and played with them and read to them and they loved it. Pete and Kathy have 9 kiddos (8 boys, 1 girl) and they are a storehouse of child-rearing knowledge! Just love them! Thanks for letting us play with you last night! We look forward to playing again soon! :)

**Tune in next week for the 'Rissa edition!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Easter Flashback

Easter Weekend Started off with a brunch at Grandmother's. Alan and I got there first so we snapped a few pics:

Then the family arrived and Thomas and I had a special moment...

The next morning was Easter and Alan and I went to church.

After church we had lunch with the girls entire family (plus some). Here are the girls in their Easter dresses!

We had a great weekend and enjoyed time with family and friends! What an honor and blessing to say "He is RISEN indeed!"

Flashback: Dance

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

So, this week I had dinner with my wonderful friend Kathy (over at 9PeasMom). She had recently posted several blog updates that we discussed and then we discussed why I haven't been blogging. Mostly - it was because I got mad a blogger. However, that's kind of a bad excuse so here I am...

Pretty

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On Monday as I was headed home I snapped this (at a red light). It was so sunny and pretty outside. I love spring! I enjoy being able to walk outside and it's comfortable. I find myself WANTING to go for walks or stay outside with the dogs for a bit. So pretty! (For the record, I love summer too -- just from inside..)

Happy

On April 13, we went to dinner as a family to honor Thomas' achievement in Bible Drill (which Allison and I did as kids) and to celebrate Allison's and my birthday. We weren't super close as kids, but as adults - she's one of my very best friends!

On the Saturday before Easter we went to a brunch at my Grandmother's assisted living building. The food was yummy, it was fun to see my family...but this woman - I sure do love her!

Easter Sunday -- I LOVE Easter - He is RISEN indeed!

--I don't have a picture for this one...but Esther (the girls we sponsor at New Day Foster Home in China) was recently matched with a family! She will soon no longer be an orphan! How my heart sings!


Funny

I had Lily and Mercy groomed this week. Mercy got a good shave down....she's still mad at me.
Lily isn't a huge fan of riding in cars and often wonders until she finds a place she feels 'ok'. Today - it was the carseat. I guess they aren't just for babies!





This gem is from one Sunday in church -- I don't remember the context -- just that it cracks me up...every time!

Real

A gal that I work with is having a baby in less than a month and we recently had her baby shower. I decided I wanted to do something for her that included sewing so I added ruffles across the tushie of the onsies. They are soo stinking cute! Then I made burp rags. I will not do this in the same way ever again. I have devised a few ways to try again...later. I also made a baby blanket with the sweetest pink and purple flannel that said 'I Love Mommy' and 'I Love Daddy'. I added a shade darker on the back and used dark purple to stich. It turned out the easiest and my fav! I will definitely add ruffles and make blankets again!
(I also made a dress on Sunday - it was a sewing weekend!)

I am getting geared up for another baby shower. This time for a boy. I'm doing a onsie with 'suspenders' and interchangeable bowties! I'm planning to try bibs and a blanket. I'm loving that I can use this skill to create things for my friends! :)

This weekend I plan to finish a jacket for the dress I made and start outfits for the girls. We will see how it goes! :)

There it is friends! Please forgive any funky layout issues as blogger still isn't totally cooperating. :/

From my sister's blog

This is the link to my sister's blog and her post from April 2. (The Neals)

It's a post about my Grandfather. We called him GrandJack. He passed away when I was 4. That's 31 years ago this year. I wrote recently about how my Grandmother, after her TIA, couldn't remember the word 'hammock' but could remember GrandJack had one, where it hung, what it looked like, and how long it's been since he passed. Now Amy has posted this one...

I just wanted to post it to my blog too so that I could find it again and so that you could see it...I may not have known him well, but his legacy lives on...


I'll try to find a picture and post it...but that could take a while...

Updates

You know folks...I check the blog daily to see who else has blogged -- I just don't blog on MY blog too often. I'm a blog-stalker. But - when I logged in today and realized my last past was in February and BEFORE mom's surgery I thought a little update would do...

So - Mom did finally have her surgery. There was a snafoo with the workman's comp and it took a little longer to happen than the dr's liked - but it's done now.

On March 4th she went in and they stuck a loooong needle in her back and shot cement (body approved) into the vertebra that was compressed to un-compress it. (When you have a compression fracture your normally rectangular vertebra becomes more trapezoidal...there for requiring cement to un-compress it and re-rectangularize it. *Words may or may not have been made up in the explaining of this procedure*)

She ended up staying in the hospital overnight thanks to pain from the incision for the looong needle (not the back). However after a rough morning, she went home and has steadily improved. Last week she ventured out for a long afternoon for the first time since the beginning of February. She walked the mall one day, met me for lunch another, and even drove for the first time. She started physical therapy this week. She's learning how to move and bend all over again to keep this kind of thing from happening again.

She can return to work in about 3 weeks or before if physical therapy releases her. That means she will have been out almost all of Feb, all of March, and into APRIL. Oh yeah - and she's retiring so when school ends, she's done. I might be a slight shade of green...(not about the injury...just the time off and retiring -- mostly retiring.

So - that's the update on Mom. :)

(no picks...just words...be watching for a Paddy's day weekend post...I might get it done before my birthday?!)