Weekend Reflections

Last week I mentioned that I was a bit tired of traveling and ready to be home. This week was another busy one but I did get to stay home more and I got to sleep in my own bed a lot more... which is always nice.

Monday and Tuesday were normal work days... nothing too exciting. The weather here has been beautiful so as I mentioned in my post earlier this week I have been enjoying Daylight Savings Time.

Wednesday was another normal work day but on Wednesday evening I had to go out of town for work on Thursday. Fortunately the meetings on Thursday were in my hometown so I got to spend the night Wednesday night with my parents.

Then Thursday it was work meetings until early afternoon... they all went well. My dad came back with me to the college town where I live so that was nice.

Friday was another normal work day and then Friday night my mom came into town. So Friday night my mom, Leslie, CRB and I hung out while my dad, my brother and Leslie's husband, Toolman, went to a seminar. I hope they had fun at their seminar because I know we had fun.

Today has been an unexpectedly busy day. I am not a big fan of yard work but I found myself doing that all afternoon. My parents were over at the house where my brother lives (which was my grandparent's house before they passed away). It is a beautiful old house with lots of land that our family still owns.

Down near the back of the property there are several blueberry bushes where I pick blueberries every year. During a storm a few weeks back a relatively small tree fell on top of the bushes. The tree didn't seem to really damage the bushes but we had to get the tree off of them. In the process we discovered lots of vines that were taking over the bushes. So I pulled vines and carried branches and vines out to the street for hours. It looks SO much better and the blueberries should flourish this summer. Would you believe I don't even like blueberries!! Oh well... I got started and didn't want to quit until the job was done. I am a tired girl with lots of scratches and blisters but it was worth it.

This week was fairly mundane but I like weeks like that every once in awhile. I am thankful for being able to sleep in my own bed and I am thankful for spending time with family and friends. I am also thankful for the sense of accomplishment I feel when I am able to do something successfully that I don't usually do.

I hope everyone had a great week! For other weekend reflections, go to Weekend Reflections at Mommy of Two.

Photo Hunters: Water

I have taken a lot of pictures of water over the years but this is one of my favorites. This was taken from a boat on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of 1770 (yes that is the name of the town) in Australia. I have never seen water quite as blue as the water there. It was an awe inspiring experience.

For more Photo Hunters, click here!

Daylight Savings Time

I love Daylight Saving Time! It has messed up my computer clock, my Outlook calendar and my TiVO but I couldn't care less. I am NOT a morning person... I am a night owl to the extreme. That being said, the sun coming up in the morning really bugs me. :-) Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it comes up every morning but I would much rather it not shine in my bedroom window so early and instead stay up a little later at night.

Over the past week or two I have been reaping the benefits of Daylight Saving Time starting three weeks earlier this year. When I get home from work the sun is still out. Brun and I can go for a walk or I can do things in the yard... or I could theoretically wash my car... but the coat of yellow pollen will tell you that hasn't happened.

In our neighborhood there is a nice little lake (really more of a pond) with lots of cute ducks and geese in it. When Brun and I take a walk we pass the ducks but Brun is usually oblivious to them. I enjoy them and so I wanted to share this picture of the ducks. I didn't take the photo but a friend using my camera lens snapped the shot and so I am borrowing it.



So I'm sorry to all of you who have to get up with the chickens (or before the chickens) when it is still dark outside. But this Alabama girl loves this time of year!

Wordless Wednesday - Spring has Sprung!

To visit other Wordless Wednesday contributors, go here.

Works for me Wednesday - Pet Edition

Labradoodles can be very strong dogs. When I take Brun for a walk he tends to try to take my arm off with him. :-) I have found this leash to be a life saver when taking a strong or overly excited dog on a walk.

It is a wonderful leash with an easy to grip handle (similar to a water ski grip) and a shock absorber in the leash. I got mine when I was on a trip to Australia from the Big Dog Leash Co. I have the Cujo 25" with an extension.

But if you don't want to order a leash from Australia and pay the exorbitant shipping costs, there is a company here in the United States that has a very similar leash. The company is Ezy Dog and in the past they have sold these at Target. I find this leash to be a bit stiffer than the one from Big Dog Leash Company but it is a great leash as well.

For other Works for me Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Today is my mom and dad's 36th wedding anniversary. I am very fortunate to have been raised by such wonderful, loving Christian parents my entire life. Even after 36 years they never seem to tire of one another and they still enjoy each other's company. Hopefully I will be as lucky as they are one day.

Happy Anniversary!

How To Make an Easter Wreath

When I was getting out some of my Easter Decorations this past weekend I had an idea for a "How To" post. I love craft projects so I thought I would share this one.

This is an Easter Egg wreath that originally appeared in a Southern Living magazine a few years back. Over the past several years I have made many of these wreaths and I thought you might like one for your front door too. Due to the use of hot glue I do NOT recommend letting your little ones help but I think you and your children will really enjoy the final results.

Materials Needed:
-1 straw wreath - You can use whatever size you want but I used a 14 inch wreath in the picture. A wreath like this can be obtained from any craft store for just a few dollars.
-About 50 plastic Easter Eggs - You might use more or less eggs depending on how full you want your wreath to be and depending on the size wreath that you choose to make. You can use any color combination of eggs that you want. I have made them in pastels and brights.
-A Hot Glue Gun and a number of glue sticks
-Some spring colored ribbon - I used a 1.25" wired ribbon

Directions:
1. First cover the surface you will be using with newspaper or paper of some sort in order to prevent hot glue from dripping and ruining your grandmother's dining room table. :-)

2. Take the wreath and be sure to remove the plastic covering from the wreath.

3. Measure out a length of the spring colored ribbon. This will be for your door hanger so the length is up to you. In the picture I just tied a knot but you might want to tie a bow in yours.

4. Once you have determined the length of ribbon that you want to use, slip it through the wreath and tie it around the wreath in either a knot or a bow. If you do decide to tie it in a knot, I recommend securing the knot with hot glue on the back of the wreath so that it does not show.

5. Now you are ready to begin placing the eggs on the wreath. I usually figure out a pattern to the colors so you don't have too many eggs of the same color touching each other. There is no real method to the ordering or placement of the wreaths so just use your best judgement.

6. Apply a liberal amount of glue to the back of the egg and place it on the wreath wherever you want it to go. You will have to hold it on the wreath for a little while until the glue cools and hardens. If you are careful (or can get a friend to help you) you can probably place and hold several eggs at the same time.

Good luck and happy crafting!

Brun and CRB Meet

Leslie over at Classic Rock Baby wrote yesterday about how well things went when Brun and CRB met. I snapped a couple of pictures and so I wanted to put those up.





I have heard stories about labradoodles becoming therapy dogs. I don't think Brun would ever qualify because he likes to lick everyone he meets. But he is a wonderful dog and he is great therapy for me every day. I am lucky to have him.

Photo Hunters

This is not a popular sight at my house... an empty food bowl. Trust me... when Brun is hungry he will let you know.

Weekend Reflections

Since this is my first week blogging this is obviously my first chance to do a Weekend Reflection. Thanks to Mommy of Two for the idea.

It has been a busy week! Last weekend my dad and I went to the 12 Hours of Sebring Race in Sebring, Florida. I had a great time but I was so ready to come home that I drove all night and we got back at 6 AM Sunday morning. I had an hour and a half of sleep before it was time for church. But I had a wonderful day on Sunday because I got to spend time in my hometown with my family and friends, including Amberly and her family.

On Monday I took off from work in order to recover from my trip. I am not very good at taking time off but I was fairly successful at relaxing and sleeping in. On Tuesday and Wednesday I worked out of town and then late Wednesday I finally returned to my house in A College Town, Alabama. I have been out of town so much recently that it was really nice to be back in my own bed.

On Thursday I finally got to see my best friend Leslie and my wonderful godson, Classic Rock Baby for the first time in several weeks. We spent the evening together and it was so much fun. I have missed them a lot.

On Friday it was a typical work day and then I came home, took Brun for a walk and gave him a bath. After that it was time for a little rest and relaxation around the house.

Saturday I went to a brunch hosted by one of the wonderful ladies from church. Then Leslie, CRB and I ran an errand and came back to my house to do some sewing projects. The interaction with Brun and CRB went great!!

I love spending time with my family and friends and on vacation but it is nice to finally be back at home and to return to a more "normal" routine. I love my house, my bed, my couch, my tv, my dog, etc... and so it's nice to be back home to enjoy all of those things. It was an eventful and fabulous week but I am looking forward to a more typical routine next week.

Free Template Contest!

Check out Splat Designs for a chance to win a free blog makover. Looks like she does great work!!

Bath Time!

Brun is not a big fan of baths... but he had to have one. He recently spent time at my parents house where he has so much fun but gets oh so dirty. So today after I got home from work and after we took a walk it was time for his bath. It was a success but you can see he wasn't all that happy about it.

Fellow Famous Labradoodle Owners

Through some random linking I found out that all of the following people have labradoodles:

• Sir Donald Campbell, who broke land speed records in the 1950s in Bluebird, was one of the first labradoodle owners.
• A Labradoodle called 'Top Gear Dog' that is owned by Richard Hammond is featured on the BBC show Top Gear. It's real name is 'TG' or 'TeeGee' - an abbreviation of 'Top Gear'
• Presenter Jeremy Clarkson from the same show and his wife Francie also have a Labradoodle named Dodger
• Tiger Woods has an Australian Labradoodle named Yogi
• Model Christie Brinkley owns a Labradoodle named Maple Sugar
• Actress Barbara Eden has an Australian Labradoodle named Djinn Djinn (named after her invisible dog in the TV show I Dream of Jeannie)
• The actor Jeremy Irons has two black Labradoodles.
• Actresses and sisters Courtney Peldon and Ashley Peldon have two Australian Labradoodles named Odysseus and Calypso
• The actor Oliver Platt owns a Labradoodle named Noodle.
• Actor and TV presenter Graham Norton has a Labradoodle named Bailey
• Actor and Director Henry Winkler of Happy Days has a Labradoodle named Charlotte.

Source: Wikipedia

Who knew?? Not me that's for sure.

Welcome to my blog

Who needs a blog? Apparently I do. Seems like everyone I know has a blog so I figured I should have one too. I don't have any kids to blog about and my life is not all that interesting, but I do have a miniature labradoodle named Brun. He's a great dog who used to be brown... hence his name (which means brown in French). He is now more of a silver color but he won't answer to Stirling... so we still call him Brun.

Brun came from St. Louis and weighs about 45 pounds. Some would argue that 45 pounds is not miniature but he's just right for me. He is a little over a year old and he's a lot of fun. For those of you who don't know what a labradoodle is, it's a mix between a Labrador retriever and a poodle.

So sit back and enjoy this blog. There will be lots of tidbits and anecdotes about Brun and about my life in general. I can't say that it will be interesting or riveting but if you have read this far hopefully it will keep your interest for at least a little while.