The one where I'm a Grandma again.

I'm pretty sure I've written about my grand-dog Max before; Lolo rescued him about 4 years ago.
He's quite, um unique......he's a very special boy. She rescued him and they have a deep bond.

Lolo's boyfriend Nathan absolutely loves Max, but he's also obsessed with Huskies.
The Siberian flavor.
Last fall some police friends of theirs who own a set of huskies accidentally ended up with a litter.
Me: "Wait, did the dogs go out one night, get drunk and accidentally sleep together"? 
I know, far be it for me to get into anyone else's personal life....who am I...the government?
They had a litter and Lolo decided to get one for Nathan for Christmas.

Boy, was he surprised and thrilled with their new baby.
They named him after General 'Mad Dog' Mattis.

Lolo & Mattis at almost 12 weeks. Wait, Lolo is 25, the dog is almost 12 weeks.

They brought him home a few weeks ago and it was apparent that this little baby will be larger than his mom and dad. (35 and 50lbs respectively)

He has one blue eye and one brown eye. 

He's so fluffy....I can hardly stand it.
Also, I can hardly imagine all the hair they'll be cleaning for the rest of his life.

 He's very sweet even though the coloring around his eyes makes him look a little angry. We're thinking that as he grows, the white/black areas will expand and he won't look like he wants to eat you.
He's a precious little boy and Cocoa and Callie both enjoyed him romping around our house for a few hours this week; they were both so patient and easy going as he nibbled on them.

Of course, after he left they both said: "Damn, that fluffy puppy has a LOT of energy"!!

Only deluxe for my pups

Recently I figured out that Callie enjoys a pillow on her dog bed; I found an old one in the closet and voilà----it was hers. Don't ask how I knew she wanted a pillow, but you know, we ummmm we communicate. 

Then a few weeks later my thoughftul friend Kelly sent a note and told me she was giving our girls a dog body pillow; a friend of hers made some for her pup and she gifted one to our Callie and Cocoa.

I knew when this big baby arrived, Callie would love it.

It's got (I think) rice in the ends to weigh it down a bit so it stays put. 

Callie was a fan in the first few minutes of it being in place. She gave it a great review on Yelp. 

And of course the Cocoa bean loves it as well. They are good at taking turns in the bed....who ever gets there first gets it. "Shotgun"!!!

I don't recall if I shared, but Cocoa spent Thanksgiving in the hosptial being treated for pancreatitis. While there, they found that she (possibly) has some growths near her pancreas. We're not diving into that as she is past her 'sell by date' at 13 and 1/3 years old. (that's really ancient for a boxer) She made a full recovery and has been doing pretty good....until this past week.
Her belly seems very unhappy and we're taking it one day at a time.

Have a fabulous Thursday....may you have a comfy-cozy bed too.

Unexpected sparks of joy could start a fire

I'm a tidy person.
Almost an 'anal retentive tidy' kind of person.

I like a simple, warm and NON cluttered home. 

So, this past Saturday the Coach was away....and there were no good movies to watch, so I settled in to watch a few episodes of Tidying Up on Netflix.
I'd heard of Marie Kondo; she did the talk show circuit a while ago promoting her latest book.
I recall her catchphrase: Spark Joy. Only have items that spark joy. 
I kind of thought that catchphrase was bs.
Nothing in my closet really sparks joy....aside from my non-yoga doing yoga pants.

But, as I watched her assist people with tidying/organizing their closets, kitchens, their lives.....I must say, that kind of sparked something into me.

So, I did what she suggested. Kind of.
For your closet, she said to take out EVERYTHING and put it on your bed.
I modified this by taking one hanging rack and putting it on my bed. I went through all the items and really cleaned house.
Then I went through each drawer doing the same and then using her folding methods when putting items back in.

My tank top drawer is phenomenal 

My hanging stuff was less stuffed now. It's always been hung by color though....anything other than that is unacceptable; unless you're some sort of monster.  

I realized something.
That little Marie Kondo sparked some joy into me. Especially the folding part.

Even my workout pant, gym shorts, yoga pants drawer is a thing of beauty

You can check her out on Youtube for the folding parts....ya know, if you are into that kind of thing.
I was really most impressed with my underwear drawer, but I'll keep that one to myself.

Am I the only one who gets giddy from an organized nest?

Suz at 13

A few days ago my Aunt Trisha stumbled upon these never before seen (by me) photos. She took them when I was around 13 and on a camping weekend with my Aunt and Uncle in Cherry Log, GA.

A few things struck me: 

I was smiling. 

I was cuter than I thought I was; I just thought my Mom HAD to say I was cute. 

My hair wasn't as hideous as I thought it was. (although soon after my Grandma took me to her 'beautician' and gave me an 'easy to take care of look'---Yes, a boys' haircut!) I wanted so badly to have hair like Blair on The Facts Of Life, but instead, I looked more like Tootie. 

The braces. I was SO thankful that I was finally able to get braces; I was a mouthful of crooked, but getting those was a cluster between my Mom, Dad and me living in a different state than my Dad and his insurance. 

That outfit. I had very few clothes; I recall wearing this particular outfit many times during the school week. 

I wish I knew at 13 that it would all work out for me. I'd get the life that I dreamt of having, but didn't think it could be a reality; you know, a functional family life.  

A girl scout leader in the making

I wish I could go back and tell my 13-year-old self to NOT be so hard on myself, I will grow taller than 4'9 and weigh more than a toddler at some point., it's ok to not be a cool kid or even friends with the cool kids.
And that I'll have a slew of quality people in my life who will get me.
It was gonna be more than all right.

Me, complaining about good things.

I don't usually make resolutions, but this year I am resolution-ing to update the blog more often.

C'mon 2019

I got a new iPhone and Ipad...and I really don't like either one. Apparently, I'm hard to please.
I lost almost all my contacts moving from my old phone to the new one, which is really unusual for Apple. (I was backed up in the cloud, wherever the heck that is)
Also, I lost a precious voicemail from my Mom that I'd been saving for four years.
I found out that you can actually email yourself voicemails....so don't do what I did.

The Ipad seems to NOT enjoy my touch. It's appalled at my touch actually.
I'm working on being friendlier to it so it will actually respond to my digits.

***

We had a little post-birthday dinner for Lindsay and my inlaws at True Kitchen. (Lolo had to work)
I love that place and my 23 year old girlie.

 ***

The Coach purchased paddleboards for us this Christmas.

I'm not going to go into the fact that I asked for Kayaks and said that paddleboarding was not 'relaxing at all' and it's 'hard work'.

Wait, I just went there.
Anyhoo, we are the proud owners of two deluxe paddleboards that we can use at our little condo on the bay.

After our first outing, the Coach declared that it's harder than it appears after he landed in the bay twice.

It's like he wants me to say "I told you so."

Isn't marriage the best?

I'm pretty good at it, but again, it's not easy and it's work staying upright; it's all in the core baby.
I'm (not so) patiently waiting for the outing where dolphins and a few manatees approach my board and become my lifelong friends. Is that too much to ask for?

XOXO

NYE 2018.....2019

The Coach and I are not big on going out for New Year's Eve.
Mostly because staying out that late is not easy....and I'm assuming everyone ON the road is drunk. Just ask Lolo-she gives out DUI's left and right.

So, we opt to go out for an early dinner, then home for an exciting night of TV watching.

I had two of these....so my TV watching was cut short because I couldn't keep my eyes open past 10:30.

I hope that's not indicative of how my 2019 will be...me falling asleep before all the fun is had.

Wishing you all a fresh, healthy and FUN 2019!!