Patience is a virtue....supposedly.

Willow is clearly the canine love of my life. The only problem with her is that she tends to get lonely. Lately she's been doing a lot of this:
Maybe it's because I grew up in a house with multiple dogs, but I feel like Willow is living a life of lonliness without a canine sibling. She sleeps a lot, has to stay home alone several hours each day, and when I see how happy she is around other dogs, I just plain feel sad for her.

Lately I've been making the rounds visiting pet stores & shelters and have met some super cute pups I'd gladly take home! I found this adorable black and white malti-poo baby boy & he was so sweet!! No doubt Willow would love him! Brad found a lab mix (aka puppy of the month- on sale puppy because he was getting too big and soon wouldn't BE a PUPPY) that he played with and she was super cute!One day at CAP, I came across this Spaniel puppy, and I fell in LOVE!!!

Brad is planning on getting a baby girl yellow lab aka 'Labby' once he finds a job and gets settled somewhere with a yard. I can't WAIT! Ever since our beloved Holly was murdered by the vet I just miss having a big dog to play with. Not that Holly really played.....

Anyway, I just want another dog. I really love labs, but I'd love another spaniel-ish dog like Emma was...or maybe I should go for something more Willow's size for fair play purposes?

Now before you suggest the perfect dog #2 for us (like this SUPER CUTE Cavalier King Charles), let me introduce the sad reality. Two dogs are expensive. It's sadly not in the budget right now for us to bring another dog home. Also, I've decided it's easier when the human - dog ratio in my family is equal. So, until I find Willow a Pa, or I win the lottery, we probably shouldn't introduce a sibling.

So if you have a lab, spaniel, or just a cute dog in the area, can you come over and play????

Buc-ees!

If you've never been to Buc-ees I highly suggest you find one on your next Texas roadtrip! Buc-ees is a HUGE rest stop and last month on our way to Dallas for Scott's halfy birthday party we stopped to get a snack and use the super clean bathrooms! Here are a few pictures of our stop!

Big line of cars waiting for one of the 30 gas pumps to open up! Below- Me & Buc-ee!!


Sic 'em Buc-ees!!!

Pretty

Just wanted to share a picture of my flower of the week- I picked these up at HEB and wish they'd last forever, hydrangeas are my absolute favorite flowers!!

Willow's Before and After

I have a love hate relationship with the grooming process. I love the way Willow looks when she gets shaggy, but I hate that I can't see her eyes. So, she gets a haircut about every 2 months and then I think she looks prissy and that look doesn't go with her personality. However it's a must of dog care, and I know the fur has to make her hot in the summer so I do it. Here's a before and after of her most recent makeover.

My attempt at helping Willow see better until her grooming appointment...she was angry.

This picture just cracks me up! She had run an intense frenzy around the house, dumped out all the toys in her toy bed, and then attacked her Red Sox Green monster. The result- 1 tired pup...

Post groom:

This time they added a bandana to her groomed look, and I thought it was pretty cute! Willow has a few dresses and t-shirts but she hates wearing clothes so I don't really bother. The bandana on the other hand....she seems to like. It's like she's got a little cow-dog attitude!

My most favorite post groom picture is below- she LOVES to hang her head out the window and I happened to get this shot with my iPhone. She's all about the wind!!!! And check out her bling bling W showing on her collar!

Happy Birthday To Mom!

If you know my mom, you know that she celebrates her birthday all month long! This year was no exception, so here are some highlights from her 54th birthday month!
We decided that instead of buying a cake we'd take her to a local favorite bakery Ooh La La and let her pick an assortment of birthday cupcakes! We had 3 boxes, plus a personal slice of cake for her to enjoy and could hardly fit them all in her lap for the car ride home...but that sure is one happy mom!!

We had my uncle Mark & Aunt Linda and their kids, Uncle Steve and Aunt Cara and their boys, and Greg, Gina plus Ava and Boo in town to help celebrate! I didn't manage to get pictures of all that came but we had lots of fun being together and celebrating with great eats! The day after mom's birthday we went to Las Flores for lunch before Greg and Gina left town and the staff at the restaurant had a surprise of their own planned! They ran across the street to a bakery and bought a piece of tasty raspberry cake for mom, and brought a giant plate of sopapillas for the rest of us! Of course she was required to wear the sombrero while they sang happy birthday! That's what you get when you eat at a restaurant more than once a week on average!

Mom's favorite gift might have been the hammock that Dad gave her for use in their paradise backyard. Here's a shot of Mom and Manna hangin out!

Of course I really enjoyed getting some time with Ava Claire! She is such a happy baby and it just makes my heart smile to hold her! It makes her heart happy to see puppies, so good thing we had Willow around! It's fun to watch Ava on the move now, that girl has mastered crawling!



Sunday evening before Greg, Gina and Ava left town we went over to Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda's house to celebrate another birthday-Uncle Mark's! We all brought swimsuits and Aunt Linda had the grill going with tasty hamburgers and sausage! I'm not a big beef eater, but Aunt Linda had me craving cow with those burgers!
The highlight of the evening might have been Baylor's plot to get the pool to herself. She had been enjoying swim time with Buddy- the Rowe's dog, but evidently decided the pool was too crowded.

So, she decided to become the pool pooper and clear all of us out so she could swim alone! It was panic for a moment, but Greg and I went into action mode and began scooping poop with our hands in hopes of saving the pool. Too late.....Baylor won! Perhaps it was the only birthday gift she could think of giving!

Hope you enjoyed your birthday month mom, I'm glad to share it with you and look forward to celebrating all over again next year!

New additions at home...

I've been eyeing these items for a while now, and am happy to see them in person at my house!! The first thing I've added is a collection of pin boards. I saw these on Pottery Barn's website and fell in love! I ordered a set for the kitchen to fill an empty wall and have enjoyed seeing them there with pictures of my nieces and cute wedding or baby shower invitations! They've helped me clear some of the clutter off the sides of the refrigerator and are helping with my goal of getting more organized at home!


Another addition has been to the outside patio, and is something I've been dreaming of having ever since I decided to buy the house! Last week I headed over to Home Depot and picked out my new gas grill!! I tried it out this week and made a family tradition-the Chicken Cruise. Normally we grill chicken on the boat and serve it with green beans and macaroni and cheese, so I decided it would be an easy and tasty meal to make for my first grilling experience.
Below is the sequence of events via photos. Grilling, basting, enjoying the sunset in my hammock, and the final results!








The next and final recent addition at home is on it's way...well I'm on my way to get it. I have been wanting a buffet for my kitchen to help with dish storage and have my eye on one specific buffet from...you guessed it...Pottery Barn! Well last week I was in the Woodlands for a work lunch meeting and spotted a PB store close to the restaurant. They're having their store model sale right now so I stopped in to see if the buffet was included in their sale. It sure was, and so I snatched it up and will go tomorrow to pick it up! Pictures coming soon!