A Day of Balloons

Last Friday was a day of celebrations,

 done with balloons.

We said Good-by to Arthur (our dog) with balloons.

We wrote love notes on these balloons and let them go.

The children were told that the balloons will be in heaven

waiting for Arthur when he arrives.

 Up, up and away...

Later... Friday Evening

 We went over to Todd & Stephanie's home to

 celebrate Tom's 60th birthday.

We started the evening off with a balloon game. 

They had blown up balloons and inside each balloon was a question.

Each of us had to pop the balloon to get our question.

 Here is Stephanie tiring hard to pop her balloon.

By the way, she's pregnant and due in Aug.

We laughed and laughed,

as we tried to come up with creative ways to pop each balloon.

Next they served us a delicious crab dinner.

After dinner we got out the board games.

Fruit and whipped cream with a candle was the birthday dessert. 

Thank you Todd & Stephanie for making a sad day,

fun and memorable.

Saying Good-by Is Always Hard

Today we said a tearful, final, Good-by to

King Arthur Fonzarelli.

But we called him Arthur or Artie.
His kidneys failed him.

Arthur was Tom's buddy.

Arthur would greet Tom when ever he came home.

We called it a "touch and go".

 Arthur would run down the walkway to Tom,

 touch him with his nose and run back inside.

They took naps together.

For years they went on daily walks, rain or shine.

Always dressed appropriately.

 Then came the day when Arthur couldn't

make the trip anymore.

Lately, Tom would give him daily injections.

 Always followed by ice cream.

Tom made Arthur's end days so comfortable.

And let me say, at times it wasn't an easy task.

They were Best Buds!

Eleven years wasn't long enough.

But we did have eleven great years.

Arthur will be missed because

You were Loved!

xoxoxo

Please stop by Kimmy's blog to read more

Tree Huggers?

While out walking today,

I came across these trees in the park.

I did a double take.

Yup, it was real!

Naturally I had to find out more.

 Soon the park will be full of socks on the trees.

Fifty to be exact.

 This is Suzanne, who is responsible for putting the socks on trees.

The town comminisoned her to knit these tree socks,

 to help celebrate the up coming

100th anniversay of the town. 

 It's not the first time Suzanne has shown off her

artistic talents.

Yes, this is my Valentine present.

It's a water glass with hearts on it.

Many of you know that I sign my name

by adding a heart at the end of it.

So, when I broke my other glass, I couldn't pass this up.

I drink about six or more of these big glasses a day.

Yes, six a day!

I have found it a great way to curb my appetite and loose weight.

There are so many other reasons to drink water.

But if you find it hard to drink that much water, here is a site for you to look at.

SparkPeople.

Their motto is, Make Your Life An Adventure.

Love it!

If that isn't enough for you to drink more water,

go to this site,

Weight Loss Success Stories,

and read this article.

A Warm Housewarming Gift

 Dee Dee, at ddzine, sent me (us), the most thoughtful

housewarming gift.

Dee Dee is an artist.

A brush and oil paint, kind of artist.

Over the years, Dee Dee has gotten to know me very well.

She knew I collected bunnies,

so she sent me an original painting of a bunny.

I cherish this gift.

Today, I received another original painting.

Actually, two paintings!

Plus, she sent me some of her original cards!

How blessed am I?

 Dee Dee painted our dogs, Arthur and Lucy.

She captured each of their personalities.

Lucy is very prissy.

Arthur is a charmer.

 Arthur showing off his charm.

Lucy... well, she is being herself.

Dee Dee, you have out done yourself.

These painting will find a perfect spot in our

Little Cottage.

Thank you for such a touching gift.

Thank you for being my friend.

Oh!

I almost forgot to show you the cards that Dee Dee made.

Dee Dee is a special artist

 with a big heart.



Thank You!

Eggs and Roses

Tonight we had our grandchildren over for dinner,

 along with their parents.

I wanted to give the Lulu & Levi something special.

Something that would make a memory.

(my new theme is *less things more memories*).

 Lulu got four sweet, pink roses.

She didn't let go of them all evening.

I got the flowers from the local florist, which was

next door to the Starbucks.

The one I walked to the other day.

(Love this town!)

 This little guy loves his hard boiled eggs.

I had to be quick get this picture.

 Today, Miss Ila May is 9 months old.

Crawling all over the place!

Our cottage maybe small but we all can fit 

 on one couch, for now. 

 Got to read at least three or four good books,

before they head home.

Yesterday, we had Todd and Stephanie over for dinner.

They loved our new home.

Thank you Todd for helping with the move.

Both nights were filled with some

great memories!



The Little Cottage

This is the view of our Little Cottage.

I knew there was something familiar about it.

Then I remembered the book, The Little House.

The story is about a little house in the country. 

Her builder decrees that she

 "may never be sold for gold or silver"

The house had buildings going up all around

her until she was in the city.

The modern slant to this book is the movie Up,

We are surrounded by buildings.

 There are apartments on the backside of us, and 

 a new five story apartment building going up in front

us, across the street.

Today I went for a walk...

 This is an oasis, a beautiful park, just two blocks down the street.

 This is the view from the other side of the park.

 I will be spending lots of time here.

Then my walk took me downtown.

So many little stores and shops.

 When I got back I forgot to get a

Starbuck's gift card for a friend.

So I walked back to the nearest coffee shop.

(There are five Starbucks within walking distance.)

I timed my walk.

I left at 12:04.

Arrived at 12:09.

Bought the gift card at 12:10.

Was back home at 12:14.

Wow! I'm loving it here! 

 The Little Cottage... home.

Whew! We're In & I'm Back!

 This is our "new" home.

Just a quick tour because it's a small home.

We went from a 1900 sq. ft. home to

an 800 sq. ft. cottage.

That's why it's a quick tour.

This is our dining room.

 Kitchen

 Living room.

Yes, we squeezed Tom's huge TV into the cottage.

View from the dining room table.

The door is open anytime. Please come and visit.

Actually, the picture shows the door closed but you know what I mean.

*******

This has been a exciting journey.

God has shown me the way, through each step and turn. 

It started with one little step, then another.   He was there and answered prayers.

After 30 years of collecting "things", today I can sit back and smell the roses.

My new saying is,

" Less things and more memories."

So, as Tom and I start a new adventure,

 be sure to come back to see what we have been up to.

We will be making memories!