Walk, Quilt and Spaghetti Dinner

Today I finished a quilt for Roxie. Only took me 4 years to put the final touches on it.... I asked Bob and Rox to show it; Bob is camera shy and Rox is playing Peek-a-Boo.

She likes it - is laying right on top of it as I type. Won't get under it.

Today it was warm enough for Bob to take her to the park for a walk. For the last three weeks we've had sub-zero weather and hellacious snows which ruled out walks for safety reasons. Rox didn't like it! It was devastating to have to explain to her she wasn't getting a walk. I think she understood, she just didn't accept it!

So today it was 28 degrees with no wind and they headed out to the park. Rox was psyched! Bob says she ran the whole way, darting back and forth on the paths, running from one scent to the next. Usually she will amble part of the way, stopping to look around and leisurely smelling the flowers. Not today... she was just wild with pent-up energy. She LOVES her walks!

And the final high note for the day: we just finished a TASTY, TASTY spaghetti dinner. Full of carbs and wheat, but hey! It tasted divine....

Baby Girl is sleeping, Bob is watching TV and I....... well, I'm going to hijack the TV remote. Wish me luck....

Eats and Blows, 2009

One eats snow, the other blows snow....

Yes, this is last year's picture, but I could have taken it yesterday! Once again this year, Old Man Winter has gifted us with more snow than we deserve... For some reason, Roxie loves it. Bob tries to avoid long walks in low temps but Little Missy just insists.

Rox's paws are heavily covered in shaggy hair/fur... she rolls for me to pick out the snow balls from between her toes, then snuggles until everything warms up....

And then!? Why, treats, of course!

Sweet Dreams Pillow

After her walk in 10 degree weather, and a warming blanket on mom's lap, she retires to the front room. Her comfy bed apparently isn't enough; she moved the pillow into position herself and zonked out in the warm sunny room.

Life is good.

Happy New Year

We are planning a very quiet New Year's Day today. Quilting, a little house pick-up, some football on TV, turkey and scalloped potatoes for dinner....... we're feeling very contented and lazy today. I hope that doesn't mean we're going to be lazy the whole year!

Rox is sleeping in her red chair, under her quilt; well, really, they are all her quilts... sigh...... the weather is cold and snowy and we have the fireplace roaring....

One big change for us this upcoming year is our plan to move to Colorado. We lived there 30 years ago before moving to Michigan, and we loved, loved, loved the open spaces and clean air....

And that is one of the issues we are facing, that we lived here for 30 years....... 30 years of memories, 30 years of clutter, 30 years of wear and tear on the house....... am I looking forward to this move? Well, yes and no!

It seems so profoundly overwhelming and I don't want it to be. So I am doing what all the experts say to do, breaking everything down into small steps. When I was younger, I could do anything. I want to still have that drive, that energy....... I just need to work myself up to it I guess. But it really did come so easily 30 years ago....

And what about Roxie? I'm sure she'll be fine, but with her we have another criteria for house hunting. We need to find a house that has all WE want PLUS one that has good walking trails and parks for Rox. Sort of like needing to be in a good school district when you have kids.... can you imagine the realtor when I tell her our list of wants and then say, "oh and we need trails and parks close by for Roxie, that's a deal-breaker..." Well, it will give her something to talk about at her weekly meetings, I guess!

And so today, while Roxie Girl sleeps, we are going to be getting rid of more clutter so we can move to a place with good trails and parks.........