Merry Christmas

For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9 : 6

  Merry Christmas!  

And Happy New Year, too!

Getting Big

Madison
(She weighs 43 lbs now!)

 She's our thoughtful pup...always studying and thinking.  Her head is usually cocked to the side as she tries to figure out what you want or what she has to do to get a treat (the latter is her main motivation).

 ~ ~ ~

 Morgan
(slightly smaller at 40 lbs, all that hair can be deceiving!)

 Always happy and playful, Morgan is more motivated by a cuddle or praise.  He wants to please.  His favorite game is tug of war, and Cary and I love his "flop" ear!

We love them both so much!  Can't imagine life without them!

Happy Anniversary!

It has been 31 years, today!

Hope ya'll have a wonderful day.  Love you both!

Meeting the Goats

Oops, I meant to post this weeks ago! 
We have taken the pups out to my parents' place multiple times now, but this past week was the first time they actually got to meet the goats up close and personal.

As the goats often get out of the pasture (luckily only one or two are small/brave enough to do it now), Madi and Morgan were able to meet a goat face to face.  Madison was fearless and wanted to play and jump at the goat while Morgan was much more cautious.  The goat?  Well he wanted very little to do with either of the dogs.  While I didn't get photos of that meeting, I was able to get photos of the two groups checking each other out through the fence and gate near the barn. 

 The goats were comfortable enough to come right up to the pups, as long as a fence/safety was separating them!

One Year Ago

It has been a little over one year since we closed on our new home.  By the way, when is it no longer "new"?  During that year, we have been busy with changes inside and out.  And although we still have plans and wishes, I think it is good perspective to look back at what all we've done to the home.

A total overhaul to the front and side yard...we installed irrigation, sodded with Emerald Zoysia, and planted new shrubs around the front and near the street.

Before:

After:

A redo of the driveway flower beds was desperately needed.  It was mostly weeds and trailing vines.  The ground cover pictured below had grown through the vents to the house and into the crawl space.  It was a huge mess to clean up, and the only thing we kept was the butterfly bush.

Before:

You can't even see the vents in the picture below.

After:

Both upstairs bedrooms got fresh paint, furniture, and drapes.  Here's one of the bedrooms.

Before:

After:

The garage got some much needed organization.

Before:

 After:

One of the upstairs bathrooms also got new paint and a mirror.

Before:

After:

The main floor powder room is no longer orange (and no longer has a bidet).

Before:

 After:

The dining room is no longer a dance studio.

Before:

In Progress:

After:

And we adopted two puppies.

Morgan and Madison

We are looking forward to many more years in this house!  God has blessed us and given us so many reasons to be thankful.

Celebrating 60 Years!

Happy Anniversary to my grandparents!  Nana and Papa celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this weekend.  What a wonderful model of love!

Graduation

Morgan and Madison graduated from their puppy class on Monday!  We were so happy with the experience as well as the results!  During the 6 week course they learned to sit, stay, down, shake, roll over, watch me, leave it, and walk on a loose leash.  They also learned some invaluable socialization with other puppies and people.

 Our class at PetSmart

 They received certificates, treats, and a toy as graduation "gifts" from the store.

 Morgan showing off his skills!

The pups with their trainer, Mary (they loved her and so did we)

Overall, we loved the experience and would recommend puppy classes to new dog owners.  It is a great way to get them started on their manners and get some valuable socialization.

No longer a dance studio!

Our dining room is no longer a big empty space.  We finally filled it with furniture this week! I have been going back and forth over the perfect dining room table that could seat 10.  I've looked all over the internet and in many furniture stores.

I decided on (what I felt like) was a traditional style that I will (hopefully) like for many years to come.  To give it a little more character, we are planning to use a pew bench from my grandfather's church on one side of the table.  The pew is around 80 years old and is from a Primitive Baptist Church.

And the kitchen has some new furniture, too! 

Before and After

 

No more dance parties...time for dinner parties!