Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I Have Been Schnauzed Today...

I don't know if one of us was not adjusting well to getting back on schedule after all that fun this weekend, but I have been on the receiving end of a schnauzer 'tude today. LOL For those not familiar with the breed, these are one of the smartest dogs around. They are also notoriously stubborn and dramatic. This is why I have a miniature one. She is about 20 pounds. Small enough to scoop up when she acting up, which is actually very rarely. I can not imagine having a 45 pound standard or 65 pound giant though. There is not a lot of room for negotiation there. LOL

My friends and co-workers laugh because Liesl is quite a character. She is very much like having a perpetual two year old child. She can be lively, cranky, loving, sassy and silly. She is also a smack talker and will go through a range of verbalization from excited barking to muttering under her breath, which actually makes me laugh. If I talk to her sternly, she will walk away muttering and complaining in a low voice. If I tell her to stop barking, she always have to give one last closed mouth bark, because schnauzers have to have the last word. She will also take her own sweet time when she feels like it. My fellow schnauzer owners laugh when they see this because it is typical of the breed. Schnauzers have their own timetable.

This breed is not for everyone. You have to have a pretty good sense of humor (because they have a really good sense of humor and expect you to get it!) You also have to have a long sense of patience. They will make you laugh more than any comedian can, they are extremely loyal, and so smart. I swear Liesl just understands things and language without any training. It sounds strange but if I need her to do something, I can generally look her in the eye and tell her what I need her to do, and she follows it 100% of the time. She is a beautiful soul.

I am really fortunate that I have this little furry girl in my life. I always thought that when I got a dog, it would be one that was content to just lay in my lap. But God does not send you the dog you want, he sends you the dog you need. I got the best one ever. She makes me laugh, challenges me, exercises me, and provides great comfort when I need it. Best of all, she overlooks it when I have an off day, so today I am doing the same for her. Tomorrow will be better for both of us!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Monday

Hope everyone had a good day! Mine was quite nice. Liesl and I went to my friends' ranch for barbecue. We had such a lovely day and lots of delicious food. I am still stuffed. Liesl had a great time, too. She ran with my friends' ranch dogs. They are sort of like border collies, and Liesl thinks she is big like them. We walked my friends' gardens which are so incredibly beautiful. I could just sit in their gardens for a whole day. It inspires me to come home and throw a little water on my plants.

We are supposed to have rain the next few days, so I decided that it would probably be wise not to put my chairs together today. I figure that I should have the ottomans and paint and seal all four pieces at the same time. It is supposed to rain much of the week so it may be next weekend before I get to it. I was telling my friends today about the good deal I got on my chairs and they were pretty impressed. Tomorrow after work, I get to pick up the ottomans. In the meantime, the boxes of wood are making my house smell nice.

I came home full and sleepy, with a really tired dog. She just crashed and went to sleep. So I watched a Pawn Stars marathon and stitched. Even with being out most of the weekend, I still got a lot done on the piece. It seemed really poignant to be stitching the Star Spangled Banner on Memorial Day. The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore in the War of 1812.

It has been really nice to have three days off and I feel pretty refreshed and ready to get back to work tomorrow. I was out much of the weekend, but it really balanced nicely with my need to get some rest at home and do the things I love around here. I feel like I got to do everything I really wanted to do!

Wishing you a great week!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Yay! A Construction Project!

I am having a seriously fantastic weekend! It has been perfection so far!

Yesterday, I was watching a really amazing documentary on the History Channel during the day. It was called the Story of Us about the history of the United States, starting from the very beginning and then going through all of the technological advances, etc. Apparently, it is a twelve part series, but I only saw a few of them while I stitched. Anyway, I was having a perfectly lovely viewing experience, when a commercial for Ace Hardware came on. They were advertising wooden Adirondack chairs at the unheard of price of $29.99. They are regularly $49. These have three position recline and are pretty nice.

I was able to make it over there today to get two of them. The young man behind the counter said that they are flying off the shelves. Then he said that he would be happy to place a special order for me for the ottoman that matches the chair for $9.99. Awesome. So I ordered them and they will be in on Tuesday. My plan is to paint the chairs and ottomans vintage Coca Cola red, and use some of the vintage fabrics in my stash to make pillows for them. I have to charge up my cordless drill tonight so I will put them together tomorrow morning. I am so excited.

Today has been a great day. Of course, I had church this morning, and then my best friend had a little going away brunch for a dear military family that is moving this week. It was nice to have time with friends, and lots of yummy food. Now Liesl and I will watch the race while I stitch. Tomorrow afternoon, Liesl and I have a big barbecue to go to. One of her favorite dog friends will be there so she will have lots of fun. Some of my favorite people will be there, again with lots of good food. This has been a weekend of perfection.

Back to the chairs...I am really loving the fact that this will give my yard a nice, vintage look. I really have a weakness for style from the 1920's to 1950's. I am looking to give my house an overall look of this time period. My house is a 100 year old California bungalow, so the look fits! I realize that I am not the only one that loves vintage as I watch shows like American Pickers and American Restoration. American Restoration does some amazing makeovers of old items. I would love to go shopping at that guy's shop in Vegas.

I have to wonder if there is heightened interest in these vintage items because they return us to a much simpler time. Some of the items that they show bring back some great memories.

I am off to stitch and cheer on Tony Stewart!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Countdown to the Holiday Weekend!

I had a great kick-off to the holiday weekend tonight. I had my knitting circle, which was totally fun. I have not been able to go the last few weeks due to church meetings and other scheduling conflicts, so I was super eager to go tonight. It was my turn to cook dinner, which had me a little nervous, but it turned out great! I had so much fun and it was so good to see my homegirls again. I did not even get my stitching out because it was so nice to just catch up with everyone. The nicest thing about knitting is that my daughter also goes so I get to see her there, too.

My daughter and I decided that we should kick off the holiday weekend with professional pedicures so that we are ready for summer. So we are meeting after work tomorrow to get our toes done. Yay! It has been so long since I have had a pedicure. I am worried that they may have to get out the Black and Decker power sander to deal with my feet. LOL I am excited.

It will be kind of an active weekend. I must say though that I am looking forward to sleeping in two of the three days. Liesl loves sleeping in. She will get up at our usual time of 5:30 to go potty outside, but when I turn the lights back out and head back to bed, she does the happiest little trot to go back to her bed. Life is good!




Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Gardening Gnome...

This is just a small corner of my nasturtium bed that I wrote about yesterday I love all of the different brilliant colors. Just looking at this flower bed makes me so happy.

When I uploaded this photo, I noticed that there is a small furry gardening gnome in the upper right corner. You can spot two pointy ears, each on either side of that big sideways leaf. She is heading into her hiding place under the leaves and flowers. It is funny how fast she can become un-hid if she hears the crackle of her cookie bag or a cheese wrapper though. LOL

It looks like this will be an eventful weekend. I just got invited to a big barbecue and then I also have other plans for one of the evenings. I love holiday weekends. I get to be the assistant minister at church this weekend, which is always a true honor and privilege. Of course, there will be trips to the beach for my furgirl so that she is happy, too.

I got an email from Joann.com that said that my lamps are on their way via Fedex. It said that the delivery date will not be until the first, but I am thinking happy thoughts that they arrive by Friday night. I would love to have them this weekend.

Off to dreamland!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

A Walk In The Garden

With all of the cold weather, wind and drizzle, I have not been in the garden for about a week. Today the sun came out and I ventured out in the garden. I found that all kinds of magic had been happening while I was gone. I have a huge patch of nasturtiums in every jeweled color that they come in. So beautiful. Then my pale yellow margarites were blooming with beautiful pink geraniums in their foreground. Both trumpet plants were ablaze with huge blossoms. There was a large patch of brilliant lobelia blooms. I have patches of Peruvian lilies coming up all over the yard. My goodness, I blinked and my yard turned into a painting. It was breathtaking and in one moment I felt so overwhelmed with so much beauty.

I need to go get one of those $19 chairs at Target and make a little place to have my tea in the morning. I have a small table that I can put right outside of my door. The chairs come in many colors. Of course, I want red. Unfortunately, I can not just go pick one up as I have a PT Cruiser which is not conducive to hauling chairs. Bummer. However, my best friend has an SUV so I will have to call her and see if she is up for a trip to Target. I think I have some cute vintage fabric in my collection to make adorable pillows for my chair, too. Yay! I may have to find a little ottoman for Liesl, too, so we can bask in the sunshine together.

My garden is such a special place to me. I still get surprised by the some of the plants that come up. Their bulbs and seeds lay dormant, and all of the sudden I will see something pop up where I don't expect it. It is a bit miraculous. I love the fact that it is a magical place for Liesl, too. She loves to lay in the nasturtium patch where it is cool. Sometimes, it is hard to see her in there. Then I will see a flick of an ear, and realize that she is nestled in there. Hide and seek is her favorite game, so she especially loves the fact that she can hide in there. If she could giggle, she would totally give herself away.

Well, I am off to dream beautiful dreams of more flowers that I need to put in the yard.


Monday, May 23, 2011

Electric Stash!

Okay, I went a little wild today. I am generally a pretty frugal person, and living in a 600 square foot house, I am pretty cautious about what I bring into my tiny palace. However, Joann.com had Ott-Lites on clearance for like 90% off. They were the expensive brass ones, usually around $269 USD, for $29.99. I bought about $800 worth of lamps for about $80. I have been needing some really nice floor lamps for some time. I have been looking for full spectrum lamps because they are easier to read by and stitch by. I have looked at Target and Home Depot for months. Today, someone posted the information at 123stitch. I can't wait for my three lamps to get here. They are pretty fancy. My living room does not have any overhead light so it gets pretty dark. I also read alot in my boudoir and need a good reading light. I am so stoked!

It is pretty cold and windy here right now. I was really looking forward to coming home and putting on sweats, but I had a worship committee meeting at church. I am the liason on the church council. The group is so good and so committed, and we worked out some really beautiful services for the next three months. It was really neat. There was a wonderful fellowship. I really feel so fortunate to have these folks as my church family.

No stitching tonight, but I am counting the days until the three day weekend. I think I may have a self imposed stitchy-thon on Sunday night. It would be fun to stay up late stitching one night. Hopefully, my lamps will have arrived by then.

One last thing-our prayers go up for the people of Joplin, MO. The photographs are so heartbreaking and I can not begin to imagine the terror that the good people of Joplin have had to endure and will have the face in the upcoming days, weeks and months ahead. It gives me pause to really be thankful for blessings. Life can change in the blink of an eye, so I truly treasure the blessings of today.

May you be blessed, too!


Sunday, May 22, 2011

Sunday Progress

This is just a short post tonight. I had written a longer post, but Blogger is having issues. So I am trying to get this in before it cuts me off again.

Have a happy Monday!


Saturday, May 21, 2011

Ahhhh, A Day At Home!

Liesl and I agreed that today was a good day to stay home and rest. It was a typically busy week so I was ready for some cuddle time with my furgirl. She snuggled up next to me while I stitched and watched documentaries. I was working on Star Spangled Banner. A documentary on the War of 1812 was on the History Channel. A portion of the documentary focused on the Battle at Fort McHenry in Baltimore in 1814, where Francis Scott Key scribbled down his notes for the Star Spangled Banner. It was fascinating. It made me feel a greater pride in the piece I am stitching.

I love days like this when I can stay home. Saturday is my one day that totally belongs to me, so I try to relax, give Liesl lots of attention, and putter around my house. Liesl likes to be home playing in her backyard, and stretching out in her favorite spots in the house. She will lay down on the top step to the yard, sunning herself. Sometimes I will walk out to see her just sitting there surveying her queendom. In the meantime, I get to tidy up, or play with my hobbies, nap and read. It is a heavenly way to spend a day.

My lilac tree is in bloom. It is so beautiful. I decided today that I need to share it, so I spur of the moment I decided to invite friends over tomorrow for lunch. So I have been cooking up a storm tonight. I went over to Trader Joe's to pick up some yummy things and started cooking so that I am ready. I prefer to spend time with my guests instead of in my kitchen, so I try to prep as much as possible ahead of time. I am looking forward to tomorrow afternoon and hope that the weather is lovely.

Oh, I nearly forgot to share. I finally got to try the Bohin needles. They go through the fabric like a hot knife through butter. Oh, my goodness. I am sure that I will never use any other needle. They feel nice in the hand and are very reasonably priced. I got the assortment of size 24-28, which had two of each size. They are super!




Monday, May 16, 2011

New Stash!

I very rarely buy cross stitch stash anymore. I have more in my collection than I can ever possibly stitch, despite the fact that I have been pretty picky about what I have purchased. I have only bought stuff that I really, truly love. I know that I can go into my stash collection and pull out any number of things that I would love to have in my home.

I needed to buy more DMC 924 to finish the Star Spangled Banner. I had cleaned out the local Michaels (one skein) last time I was there, It does not seem that they are re-stocking their cross stitch supplies, and with gas being what it is, I did not want to waste a trip up to Marina, fifteen minutes away. The closer craft shop only stocks Sullivan's, which does not match. My last trip recently though I dug to the bottom of the bin and found one skein of DMC 924 from their old stock.

Seeing as how I needed to place an order from 123stitch, I took inventory of what I actually needed. I need one skein of Gloriana Summer N' Smoke to finish an old WIP. I also needed needles. Everyone is raving about Bohin, so I thought I would try them. Can't wait! The pattern is one that I have been in love with for about a year. It is Faith, by Ernie Bishop, Cross N Patch. I am thinking about stitching it for a dear friend. It has some complex stitches, but with a little practice, I think I can do it. It is so pretty. 123stitch is really exceptional in customer service. I placed my order Thursday night, and it arrived today.

It has been a wonderful day to have this package arrive. It rained on and off all day, which is late in the season for us. I had planned on coming home and planting my herb garden after work. It started pouring on my way home though. Obviously, gardening was a no go, so I came home, puttered around the house and stitched quietly. It was really nice.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A Good, But Very Busy Weekend!

Wow! This weekend was busy but it was wonderful. I got so much accomplished, so I feel really good.

Yesterday, was Liesl's annual vet check-up. I am happy to report that she has been declared very healthy by her doctor. She had to have all of her blood tests and such, which came up negative for bad things that are harmful to doggies. (Always a blessing when I get that news.) They took her off to another room for her blood work, but when they brought her out she looked just like this:
This is Liesl's normal state of being, smiley and happy. The vet technician said that Liesl was such a good girl and did not even complain when they had to prick her with the needle. She had a red bandage on her leg and had to show it to me proudly while she was smiling. She trotted out of the vet's office with such a happy little trot. I just love this little dog so much. She is something special.

In addition to the vet visit, I got to stop by and say hello to old friends, drop off clothes that were too big for me (Yay!) to Goodwill, stopped by the library, cleaned my house, did my laundry and had extra playtime for Liesl, since she is such a good girl.

Today, I got to have lunch with my very best friend. She is an incredible woman and we had a deep talk about life. She is so wise and so much fun at the same time. Then I got my oil changed, did my grocery shopping, shaved my legs for summer (which, sadly, took longer than the oil change. LOL I think the electric razor was smoking towards the end. Sorry, probably more than you wanted to know!) By then the sun had come out, so I went outside and painted my front gate with two coats, hung a pretty shell wreath on it that I have been saving, and weeded and shoveled the flower beds on the side of my driveway.

The funny thing is that I do not feel at all tired. I feel really good. I even got to stitch tonight or rather, un-stitch. A couple of days ago, I found that I was off a stitch on a couple of rows. I put it away, trying to decide what to do. In the end, it was bugging me, so I am taking the stitching out and re-doing it. Hopefully, this week I will have new progress to show you.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Whoohoo! It's Friday!

It was a really good day today. I had two accounting puzzles that had been hanging over my head since last Friday. I solved both of them by 4pm, so I felt really good when I left work. I can concentrate on the important things in life this weekend, like spoiling Liesl in the style that she expects! LOL

Liesl has a vet appointment for her annual check up tomorrow. She has a truly wonderful vet that has taken good care of her since she was a scruffy four month old puppy. She will have to go through her tests and will probably be mad for a while afterwards. But after that we can come home and get our chores done and take a nap. It is supposed to be cloudy and cold tomorrow and then rainy on Sunday. So I have to get as much done as possible tomorrow, including painting my front gate. We ran our errands after work, so we are pretty much ready for the weekend. I even got two new lipsticks as a treat at Target. Always a great pick me up!

So I was listening to CNN news on my local classical station yesterday. There was a report that shows like Project Runway have caused a surge in sewing machine sales. Brother Sewing Machines indicated that they have seen a 22% increase in sales in the last quarter. They also made reference to some of the new features of the newer machines, like HD cameras mounted in the needle area so the user can watch on a screen on the machine. I believe that the sales increase are due in part to the fact that there is also a resurgence in quilting and making things for the home.

I also have heard that when the economy experiences a downturn, the sales of crafting items and supplies tend to increase. This is because people have to stay home more. So I have to wonder if the sewing machine is part of that increase. But I get excited that home arts are alive and well, and attracting new consumers for them. Sewing was one of those things that seemed like it was an art that was under threat of disappearing. Now it is on the upswing! This makes me excited for cross stitch, that it can too experience a resurgence.

Hope you have a happy weekend crafting!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

An Awesome Mother's Day

I had the best Mother's Day dinner ever! I met my son and daughter at one of my favorite places for dinner. It was so wonderful to sit down, chat and laugh with them both together. They are both really amazing people and I was so happy to have the time with them together. It made me really happy, and on the way home I thought about how proud I am that they both turned out to be such wonderful people.

I thought that dinner was going to be my gift, so I was really surprised that each of them had really beautiful and thoughtful gifts for me.

From my daughter-A pretty new basket, with a basket liner that my expert knitter daughter knit for me from linen yarn. She has gotten into baking bread this year and baked me a loaf of sourdough bread, too! I am going to make myself a sandwich for lunch tomorrow with it. I can't wait! The liner is so beautiful and delicate.

From my son-Two beautiful sets of oven mitts and potholders with fruit on them that totally match my kitchen.

He also got me this beautiful stoneware/mold pan with roosters on it that again, totally matches my kitchen. I love this color red, and have several things with roosters and chickens in my kitchen. I have to find a way to display it because it is so pretty.
It was a fun evening and over way too soon!

Well, I am off to bed. I have not been able to stay awake past 9 pm this week for some reason. I find myself starting to doze off on the sofa at about 8:30. It has just been a busy week at work, and the weather has been really dark, windy and cold. I think it is all just making me sleepy early.

Have a happy Thursday!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Progress!

It was a cold, foggy weekend here on the Monterey Peninsula. I got to do my puppy sitting yesterday, which was pretty fun. All three dogs were really well behaved, and actually ended up sleeping most of the time. After a short time in the yard, snacks and chewies, I spread out the big fuzzy blanket on the sofa and sat down with the furbabies. Everybody got on the sofa, and next thing I knew there were soft puppy snores. I read my book and was so relaxed. We had a great afternoon and I would do it again anytime. All three dogs are wonderful and so darling. Dogs Rock!

It was so cold and drizzly today. It was too cold to work in the yard, so I stayed inside and stitched and caught up on my episodes of Jersey-licious on On Demand. It is my guilty pleasure. I got to watch four episodes back to back. This show absolutely cracks me up. It was nice to stitch as long as I wanted to today, too. We are celebrating Mother's Day for dinner on Tuesday evening when my son is off work, so the whole family can be together. My favorite gift ever! So I received phone calls from my children, and kisses from from my fur-kid. It was a good Mother's Day, nice and quiet. Plus I have Tuesday evening to look forward to! Being a Mom to such wonderful children is a true joy in my life. I am so proud of both of them for being hard working, kind, happy people.

Hope you have a happy week!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Yay! The Weekend Has Arrived!

So far this is a fabulous weekend. I accomplished everything on my list at work today, including a large project. To top it off, I finished everything by 5pm, so I could leave on time. I was feeling pretty jazzed about all that I got done today, so I was feeling energetic enough to start my housecleaning and puttering at home. This will leave more time this weekend for stitching.

I am also excited because I got a message via Facebook tonight. One of my friends from church has to commute between Southern California and Monterey once a week. He mentioned that he stops in Solvang, which is an amazing Danish community in the Santa Ynez Valley, on his way home. My very favorite bakery ever (Mortensen's) makes the most incredible eclairs. I mentioned this at church last week, and he said he would take my order for eclairs, but was not sure if he would make it through before they closed this week. I did not mention it again, because he had mentioned the things he needed to do on his way up to Monterey. I did not want him to make a special trip or go out of his way. He sent me a message tonight that said, "Mission Accomplished." Whoohoo! It was such a nice thing to do. These are the most decadent, delicious eclairs ever, complete with a little bit of raspberry jam in them.

Tomorrow should be a really fun day. I am puppy sitting a couple of Liesl's puppy friends. My friend's family has to go to a family member's memorial service, funeral and family meal, so their chihuahuas are going to spend the day with Liesl and me. Their family is going to pick up Liesl first thing in the morning to go on a morning hike with them, so that all of the dogs are tired. This is while I get my hair cut and grocery shop, then all of the dogs come back to my house. Then it is puppy-palooza! I have extra treats and chewies, so I am ready. An afternoon of puppies is a good thing. Plus these little dogs are lap dogs, so that means Liesl will want to be a lap dog tomorrow, too. LOL. I am pretty excited about it. Liesl will like having her buddies from work here to play with. They are all such well-behaved little dogs, so it will be really fun. After that it will be a self imposed stitching marathon!


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Ahhhh. It is so quiet this evening. No fog horns. No seals barking. Just quiet. The temperatures were in the 80's today, and the evening is just cooling off. I was telling my co-workers today that it was the kind of day where you want to sit in a chair in your backyard, with a popsicle and a magazine. It was so beautiful and clear.

It is nice now that we are transitioning seasons. It stays light longer in the evening, until about 8pm. This has been nice as I have been gardening after work this past week. Tonight, I got to have dinner with my pastor and friend instead though. It was a special treat in a busy workweek, and it was just enjoyable to sit and talk about big ideas, theology, books, and life.

Now everything in the house is quiet. I came home to lots of kisses, of the puppy variety. Then I snuggled with my little fur girl, until she decided to turn in. It is funny to have a dog that puts herself to bed. LOL Afterwards I looked at blogs and became more inspired to stitch faster in hopes I could do all thebeautiful projects that I fall in love with online. Now I get that last few minutes of quiet to reflect on the day, count my blessings, read a few passages in my Bible and then settle into my book. I love ending my day this way. I think the part I enjoy the most is the counting of blessings. I start small and then end with the big items. I usually run out of time before I run out of blessings. There is so much to be truly grateful for.

May the day be filled with blessings for you, too!


Monday, May 2, 2011

Hangin' Out With The Big Dog

It was a pretty good day, considering that it was Monday and the first day of the month. The first of the month is always hectic for accountants, but all in all, it went pretty darn smoothly. The weather was warm, the sun was shining, and I got lots of work done.

What was really nice was that I came very close to getting out of work on time tonight. The sun was still shining. I was able to putter around the yard a bit while my dinner cooked. I got all inspired yesterday to garden, so I am looking closely at the space I have to work in and thinking about how I want it to look.

Best of all, I got to stitch most of the evening. I am up to the line, "Through the perilous fight." It is going rather quickly now that I am doing the letters. It is also a little easier to goal set for the evening of stitching, because a stopping point is more identifiable. I even got to stretch out on the whole sofa to stitch because a certain schnauzer decided to go to her bed early.

I had to make Liesl's annual check-up appointment today. I am blessed to have a vet that is open on Saturdays. So she will have to go in a few weeks. She usually shakes until the vet puts his hands on her, then she relaxes. I figure that the vet's office probably smells like all kinds of scary things. I just hate to see her shake that much. She is usually such a brave little dog. She seems to know the doctor is there to take care of her and warms up quickly. Until then though, it is traumatic for both of us. LOL

Sunday, May 1, 2011

An Amazing Weekend!

This was such a great weekend, from beginning to end. On Friday, I came home to a package from Amazon. I love that little smiley faced box sitting on my doorstep. Some time ago, my mom gave me mad money for my birthday. This was one of the presents I ordered. My friend got this book for her birthday and I was drooling over it. It is such a great book and even comes with a CD so you can print out the patterns. There are so many neat designs in here that look really easy and quick to stitch up. I love this book! Thank you again, Mom!

Yesterday was my day for errands. Liesie decided to come along and be my co-pilot. We had to run by the local craft store for fabric. Then I had to run to the Carmel library to pick up Cleopatra, for which I have been on the hold list for months. In addition, they had three other books in that I have been wanting to read forever. It must have been my lucky day! It was an absolutely beautiful day, so I made sure that Liesl got her walk on the beach afterwards, then I picked up my groceries and we went back home. I puttered around the house, cleaned my closet out (whoohoo!) and went to bed super early so I could read Cleopatra. It was so worth the wait!

Today was so fabulous. It started with church and seeing members of my church family that have been away for several weeks. I feel so at peace at church and love being with the people I have known for almost 10 years.

After church Liesl and I were invited over to one of my co-worker's ranch for barbecue. We had a wonderful time and got to see their amazing gardens. The garden was at least an acre and had the most beautiful flowers and trees. There was a Cecil Bruner rose that had trellised itself way up into the trees. I was absolutely in awe and inspired to do greater things in my garden. I was so grateful that they invited me over and so enjoyed getting to know both of them better.

Liesl had so much fun, too. She ran with the other dogs and discovered horses. I wish I would have had my camera with me when she was sniffing nose to nose with a Tennessee Walker horse. The horse was so gentle with this happy, excited little dog. Liesl ran and ran, played and played, and walked the gardens with us. When we got home this afternoon, this is what Liesl looked like the rest of the day:

She was one tired puppy!