My latest project...

So I found these plans for a puppy pen and thought, this doesn't look too hard.

HA!

Of course, Im pretty sure if I had the correct tools, the job would have gone much more smoothly, I'm happy to report that somehow I managed to actually get this thing put together and it doesn't look all that terrible! 2 days of work, one bruised thumb and an injured pinky toe is all it took. It's currently out in the garage because it's still "drying". A few extra details here and there and I'm hoping to have it in the house and the puppies in their new pen within 2 days or so. Hopefully it won't be much longer than that because with how fast these little guys are growing they needed the extra space yesterday.

Happy Birthday to me! I've decided that I'm 28 this year...woohoo! (shh....work with me here)

So I'm another year older. I feel exactly the same even though my kids think it's hysterical to remind me that I'm OLD....like really old.

Even though I didn't want to celebrate, my husband was his sneaky self and managed to give me an impromptu party anyway. No pictures, sorry....wasn't pretty :P

It was a nice surprise with a few close friends and my family. In other words, it was perfect.

He's perfect. (shh....still working with me here ;) )

Taylor's Purse

It's FINALLY done. Taylor has watched me make several purses, patiently waiting each time for me to get to her request. A purse and wallet set in purples, blues and pinks. Well I finally found the yarn and a really simple pattern that I wanted to try out so Taylors purse has finally come to be.

I used Wool Ease yarn and fun fur to make this combination. The pattern that I used was an unknown on Ravelry. I'm happy with how it turned out and Taylor is absolutely thrilled.

Now on to finally finish the jacket for Julia and top for Emily......

Got Cow?

(Sorry...bad cell phone pic but I keep forgetting to bring the camera with me :0 )

It's always the little things that seem to amuse me.

I was running errands and was stuck behind this guy for the majority of my trip. At first I didn't notice the license plate, but when I finally did glance at it, it made me giggle a bit.

It wasn't until three lights later when I was in the left turn lane and got a glance at the interior of the truck that I really got a good laugh. Now while animal prints are not exactly my "thing", I don't particularly dislike them. However, the cow print seat covers, cow figurines stuck to the dashboard and cow print vest this guy was wearing was OVER the top!!

I wish I was brave enough to take a pic while face to face with this sight, but unfortunately I chickened out. The visual description is just going to have to be enough.

His name is Boomer...

Since we learned that our little Mandy was expecting a litter, my husband has been on my case. Always a softy for the fur babies, he knew that it wouldn't take much for me to get attached to the new little guys.

He has been prepping me from day one not to get too attached to the puppies because we could not possibly keep anymore dogs. We have enough pets. Anymore animals and there will be no room in the house for the kids :P

Since the day that the puppies were born, I've been reminding myself daily that they are going to have to go and I may as well get that in my head now so I didn't allow my heart to get in the way.

Since the day that the puppies were born, Rob has fallen for this little guy. ( Ha! ) Oh, and did I mention we're keeping him.

Snow...

This is what I woke up to....In Florida. Snow! Since we moved down here I have been saying how the one thing I really miss is about living up North were the four seasons. Particularly autumn and winter. I've been trying to plan a vacation back up to New Jersey sometime between October - March so that I could enjoy a taste of what I have been missing these past few years.

While it was nice to get a pretty little dusting of snow, this past week of freezing temperatures has been absolutely miserable. I have become quite spoiled with the mild weather of Florida and cannot handle the cold temperatures the same anymore.

I can conclude now with absolute certainty that I do not miss winter in the North one bit. Keep your hot chocolate, crackling fires and snowmen......I'm glad to be down South where I can wear shorts on Christmas and go swimming in February :P

It never fails

Why does it seem near impossible to have all four of my kids content at the same time? It seems like three is always the limit. Three perfectly happy little ones, and one perpetual pouter.

On movie night, all but one will be happy with the viewing choice. Dinner, three out of four will like what I've prepared. Going out to the park and three are ecstatic while one wants to know why we couldn't go to the "other one". Out to dinner and three are salivating, one claiming they will not be eating cause there is absolutely nothing on the menu that they like. Three cool and comfortable, one is too hot (vice versa, three warm and cozy, and one is too cold) ARGH! You get the picture I'm sure.

I would love to get any and all suggestions of btdt parents and what they've found to help keep the peace.

Puppies are growing up

The puppies are now almost two weeks old and are changing so much. They have more than doubled in size and are starting to push up on their little legs rather than scoot around on their bellies.

They are also starting to become more vocal. Right now it's cute...another few weeks I'm sure it won't be quite as endearing. :P

As of today, the final pup has finally opened her eyes all the way. Fourteen adorable eyes peer up at me now everytime I look in the whelping box. Mom, as you can see, is ecstatic!!

Now I'm venturing into making my own puppy pen. I found plans online for a design that I really like and seems like it would work the best. The directions make it appear to be a rather simple project. Of course I have a knack for making the simple quite *ahem* complex. This should be interesting. At the very least, it should make for a good post or two ;).

Hello....This is Florida!!!

Mother Nature has been quite cruel this winter. Now I'm no stranger to harsh winters....I grew up in New Jersey and have gone through more than my share of cold days and freezing nights.

However, when we made the decision to move to Florida a few years ago, one thing I was glad to say goodbye to was the chilling temperatures of the North. I was ready to accept the unbearable summer heat in exchange for the mild, and up until now, quite enjoyable temperatures of the autumn and winter seasons. This year however has brought about no enjoyment and rather a big ol feeling of WTF?!? 19 degrees overnight....defrosting my windshield in the morning before taking the kids to school....turning the HEAT on in the house. We've even got wood for the fireplace....first time EVER I even considered doing so since being down here.

And now....the weatherman is breaking my heart by announcing snow on Saturday. SNOW! Brrr......going back on the couch now with my big blanket, booties and cup of hot tea.

Playing Catch Up....

I've been lazy while recovering these past few days. The pictures I have managed to take, the blogging/posting I haven't bothered with...so now it's time to play catch up. Since I've been homebound while not feeling so hot, there's nothing too exciting. I've had plenty of time to make some random observations around the house though, and my to-do list has grown immensely.

One thing that caught my eye is my poor little guy, Ty. Through the hectic times of the holiday season certain priorities were pushed to the back-burner ... or ignored completely. My poor dog has apparently paid the price. While looking at him today I realized the toll he has taken. He needs his day at the spa more than I do right now.

Although unrecognizable right now, he is in fact a miniature schnauzer...and when properly groomed, quite a handsome little guy. I'll have to post his after pic after his long overdo date with a pair of clippers.

I have absolutely nothing interesting in the least to share today ~ but still sticking with the "plan" here (or at least trying to).

All I have to share is my crumpled up pillow. This is where I have more or less spent my entire day. I am more sick than I have been in a long time. What a great way to start off 2010.

My kids have been absolutely wonderful and are taking such good care of me. Considering that one of my "ailments" is the loss of my voice they could have so easily taken advantage of that situation. Although....I think my husband may actually be enjoying my silence just a little :P Going to go snuggle back up with my pillow and hope that I feel somewhat human tomorrow.

One Week Old Today...

Well, four of them at least. The other three will officially be one week as of 12:38a.m., 12:52p.m. and 1:14a.m. tomorrow morning. They have almost doubled in size this past week and no longer can fit in the palm of my hand without flopping off in all directions. By this next time next week we should have open eyes....soon after that they will figure out how to use those stubby little legs. That, I imagine, will be when the real fun will begin.

Mama is fantastic with them and extremely protective of her new little ones. The kids are amazed watching these little guys grow. It's growing increasingly difficult not to get too attached to any one of these pups....I absolutely adore each and every one of them.

The kids were talking about New Years Resolutions today and what goals they were going to set for themselves over the upcoming year.

Emily took this job rather seriously and sat down on her own for a bit to contemplate what exactly she wanted to include on her list.

So far it includes....

* Be a good girl

* Feed the cats

* Get a pool

* Go to 3rd grade

This is still a work in progress as there are more items crossed off the list than there are goals she has set in place. I cannot wait to see the finished list.

The beginning of my project 365.....

I first heard about project 365 almost a year ago when a group of friends and family members began their own. I was encouraged to set one up, but declined because I didn't think that it would be something that I would be able to maintain at the time. Over the past year, I have thoroughly enjoyed browsing the "year in pictures" that those close to me have been posting and love this way of getting a glimpse of moments I otherwise may have never shared with them.

This year I was once again challenged to set up a project 365 of my own. Call it peer pressure, or maybe just the desire to have one of these unique chronicles of a year in my view, but I've decided to go ahead and give it a shot. Here's hoping I stick with it :)