Love and Laughter

It's amazing how much

love and laughter

dogs bring into our lives.

Love and laughter bring joy to one's heart and it's a true gift to experience that in your life. It can come in many ways, including from a much-loved pet. From the time we brought home our eight week old puppy, our sweet and comical Boston terrier showered us with both love and laughter. My husband tells the story of our going to look at a litter of Bostons because "someone at our house" decided we should (I'm guilty, as charged!). Millie was a busy girl from the moment we laid eyes on her and when my husband picked up this tiny puppy who fit in one hand, she licked him on the nose. That, he says, is how we knew she was to be ours. She was the only baby we've ever had and she definitely kept us hopping! 

Here is Millie with her big sister, Pollie.

Very inquisitive  and exceptionally personable, she loved to explore and be on-the-go. She was so loving and funny, though, that it made her antics well worth the extra efforts. Since all of our other dogs had been adult rescues, we didn't realize how active  puppies can be! Although she did mature by age two, she never got over the pure delight of interacting with people and other pets. We referred to her as our "clown" because she was naturally funny and made us laugh every single day just by being herself. She had so much character! 

Millie knew how to cover-up with a blanket completely on her own and 

would arrange any soft throw to get it just right! 

When this green toy flung through the air and

landed on her head, she didn't mind at all! 

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our beautiful Boston two weeks ago, leaving us heartbroken. If you have ever had a dog as part of your family, you understand the sadness we feel losing our dearly-loved gal. She was a blessing. Although she had her share of medical issues, all were being well-managed. Blindness, deafness, heart disease and thyroid monitoring were addressed by her caring and competent team of specialists. Routinely, she saw her canine ophthalmologist, cardiologist and the dear surgeon who performed Millie's parathyroidectomy last November-- which was just one week after our precious Rubie died (click here to read her tribute). Dogs with Millie's particular heart condition typically succumb within a year; we were at 20 months. Thanks to superior veterinary care and carefully-prescribed daily medicines (a total of 13 a day plus two types of eye drops) she maintained a high-quality of life and was still typical Millie. She still loved her yard, riding in the car, begging for doggy snacks, loving us and making us chuckle out loud. Her meds were always wrapped in boiled chicken and since our girl loved to eat, she enjoyed her "treats" and never minded one single bit! At a scheduled cardiac check-up in mid-April, though, routine images revealed lung cancer and a bladder mass. We added an oncologist to our lineup. Another pill was added to the regimen for the mass, but there were no options for the lung cancer and, tragically,  that's what robbed us of our sweetie. Throughout her 13 plus years of life, she knew no strangers and everyone who met her adored her!

Millie may not have been much of a cuddler, but she was very loving. She had a sweet disposition and we never once heard her growl. The only time she barked was when she played with her sister.  She was also a very good conversational listener and seemingly understood everything we said to her. Multiple pictures capture the classic head-tip. Shortly after this picture, she went completely deaf.

Many of you came to expect the holiday photos of our dogs dressed for the occasion. Millie was always a great sport about those, while Rubie was less enthusiastic. 😉 

We lost both of our little girls in a span of seven months and our home seems very different.

For the first time in more than three decades, we have no furry kids. What we do have, however, are lots of wonderful memories from so much love and laughter! ❤

This and That...

I have a little of this and a little of that to share! 😊

First on my list are these great Dollar Tree finds. Located in with the school supplies, "plastic zip envelopes" are quite versatile. Think outside the box  (or envelope) when you consider different uses. These 12.7 by 9.6 inch envelopes are great for papers, of course, but I think they're perfect for craft organization and that's how I am using them.

I tucked a needlework project in one. Now the directions, fabric, needle and threads are kept together in something a bit more durable than a Ziploc bag. I plan to use the additional envelopes for sets of my handstamped cards which are in the process of being completed.

Next is another DIY artwork piece. You may recall when I shared my springtime poster. If you missed it, you can revisit the post by clicking here. It was time for a summery print, so I decided to use a butterfly picture I had snapped last year sometime. Making your own framed art is simple by using something from your own camera roll. Take advantage of sales, which run often. I had my 16 by 20 inch poster made at Walgreens during a 50% off sale. I am storing the crab tree print in the frame beneath the monarch. 

Last, but not least, is another piece of art. Instead of being large, it's very small! My cousin gave me this metal butterfly charm with its accompanying poem and I decided it would look sweet framed. I had this 3 by 3.5 inch frame in my craft room stash and it worked perfectly. In no time at all, I was able to top-mount everything. 

What projects do you have going on at this time? 

Happy weekend to everyone! 

Tuesday's Tablescape

We recently received this gorgeous floral arrangement and, naturally, I wanted to use it as today's centerpiece.

I think it is a beautiful blend of colors and textures.

These beauties inspired me to pull out my sunflower plates.

I love Queen Anne's Lace, so was thrilled to find sprigs of it in the arrangement. 

Happy Tuesday!

Fairy Garden

This fairy garden is in my parents' yard. A hollow tree stump seemed the perfect spot for the fairies to establish residency!  

My mother received the miniature garden pieces as a gift from my sister and her family.

Vinca "trees" will cast more shade as they mature. 

For now, plenty of sunshine can dry the clothes on the toadstool clothesline, shown below.

We have had so much rain lately, that we really welcomed a dry day to set-up this little garden. 

 May your day be sunny and bright!

Summertime Mantel

I did our summertime mantel in May before Memorial Day and will keep it decorated this way at least until the 4th of July...and perhaps until Labor Day. 

We stumbled upon this patriotic print at Cracker Barrel, of all places, a few summers ago and we still really enjoy it. If you have followed the blog, you've seen it highlighted in previous years.

This year I used one of my lanterns (which I snagged for yesterday's tablescape). To add a nautical touch, a candle covered with real seashells did the trick.

I balanced the mantel with this vignette on the other end. Although tough to see in the photo, the glass vase has shells "plastered" into the base. A bayberry ball created a touch of greenery to play off the trees in the print and the star, of course, is all patriotic! Placing a piece of scrap fabric under a grouping is a good way to add texture and interest.

Our antique rocker, which is a family piece, has a tapestry pillow depicting a lighthouse. 

As the caption on our print reads, 

       God Bless America, our Home Sweet Home! 

Tuesday's Tablescape

I have a sprinkling of nautical touches adding to my patriotic décor this year, so decided to set a table with the same theme. 

I began the place settings with these patriotic dinner plates. I found them at the dollar store a few summers ago. They only had two and despite searching other locations, I never found any more. 

My crustacean salad plates are some favorites of mine. I have two of each design and picked them up at World Market a few summers back. 

Cobalt drinking glasses and an off-center lantern rounded out the table.

I hope this finds you having a blessed day!

Loaded Nachos

It all began when my friends and I recently went out to lunch. It was necessary for the server to move our party to another table. We didn't mind in the slightest, but she felt badly doing it. As a token of appreciation for our flexibility, the establishment brought us an order of loaded nachos on the house.  They were tasty and had such colorful presentation that I decided I should make some for a good summertime dinner. It's certainly nothing new, but you may also enjoy a reminder to prepare something you've not had for a long time.

Loaded Nachos

 1 bag of restaurant style nacho chips 

1 pound ground beef, cooked with seasoning and drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 jar salsa 

1 bag shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Cook your ground beef, adding either chili powder or taco seasoning to your liking. Drain and set aside.

I lined a flat, rimmed sheet with foil because I wanted to simplify the clean-up process! Create a single layer of nacho chips. Evenly spread a layer of cooked meat, followed by drained black beans, thin spread of salsa and  then cheese. Repeat everything, ending with cheese. I baked mine in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, drizzle with sour cream (I added a tiny bit of milk to a daub of sour cream in a small resealable bag, smooshed it together and cut the corner so that I could squeeze out the contents). I garnished with sliced ripe olives.

Obviously, you can tweak this in numerous ways. You could use chicken instead of beef, add jalapeno peppers, etc. Adjust the amounts of each ingredient as needed. For just the two of us, I used about half of everything.

For this patriotic season, it would be fun to use a bag of the 

red, white and blue chips currently featured in the stores. 

A printable version is available here.

I served ours with corn-on-the-cob and fresh fruit salad. It was a good summertime meal, which we enjoyed on the patio even though it's 'nacho' typical meal! 😉

                         Happy Monday!