Sunday Songs and a Swamp Dog

Went to church this morning with the girls and their friend S.

Here are the songs we sang:
Open The Eyes Of My Heart
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Shout To The Lord
Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
Lord Reign In Me

My favorite today was Shout To The Lord.

Hope you enjoy!

Lucy decided to take off this afternoon for the swamp that is WAY far behind our house.

That was not a good thing.

I will back the story up a bit.

Picture a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

The sky is a beautiful blue.  The sun is shining.  The birds are singing.  It's warm.  As in warmer than it should be in mid-March. We will gladly take the 70 degrees this time of year.

The girls had their friend S over.  S slept over last night and we had a great morning at church.

We came home, had a nice lunch and then all 3 girls headed outside to play.  Of course it was so warm that they had to change into shorts.  And tank tops.  I think they were a bit optimistic with the tank taps.  But, it was very warm in the sun.

So, all 3 girls are outside playing and I think that Lucy is in the house with me.  I have the back door open and *thought* I had closed the gate on the deck to keep her contained.

Apparently the gate was open.

All of a sudden, E comes in from the garage and says, "Mom!!!  Lucy is outside! She almost ran across the road but she turned around and is running towards the woods!"

Instantly I know this is trouble.

I go outside and sure enough there goes Lucy, or as I may call her now "the dog", running farther into the woods.  I can tell she's on a scent.  Nose to the ground and running.

So not paying attention to me.  And now she's out of sight.  And I have gone a bit into the woods at this point.

I call.  I call.  I call.  And yes, I call again.  NOTHING.

Now I am IRRITATED.  About 5-10 minutes(yet it feels like an eternity) go by and she is still not back.

Because it is so warm out I have very cute ballet flats on my feet.  They are definitely not a "tromping in the woods trying to find my very disobedient dog" type of shoe.

So now I decide I need to get my sneakers from the house to go look for "the dog".

The girls come to meet me at the edge of the woods.  I tell them to stand there and whistle/call do whatever to try to get "the dog" to come home.

I have barely made it to the deck stairs when I can tell by the excited sounds from the girls that they can see "the dog".

I start my way back to the girls.  Then I hear them say, "Oh Lucy!  What did you do?"

And then I saw her.  And my beautiful Golden Retriever is BLACK.  Yes, BLACK!

Did I mention that I was irritated?????

She could barely look at me as she lay on the ground.  She knew.

Trouble.

This picture doesn't even do justice to how DIRTY this dog was.  And she had small little sticks all stuck in her tail feathers.

"Oh Mommy!  I couldn't help it!  The swamp smelled so good!  And the mud, oh the mud!"

After taking these few pictures, it was back down to the grass and the garden hose. It is amazing how dogs know a person's feelings.  Because trust me, this dog knew I was not happy with her.  I am thinking my tone of voice definitely got my point across to her.

She just lay on the ground while I hosed her off and moved her around.

Then I locked her up on the deck for an hour to dry off.  And she was still dirty.

So, I brought her in the house and gave her another bath in the bathtub.  And scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed.

And then she was back on the deck outside to dry off some more.

Laying all dejected on the deck because she is being ostracized.

Every now and then she would wander by the french door and look in through the window.  Note the extremely sad ears.  And the eyes.  Definitely dejected and ostracized.

"Please can I come inside?  I am mostly dry.  And I kinda, sorta promise I won't run to the swamp ever again.  Unless the water & mud smells that good.  Then I can't be sure of anything.  Aren't  I cute?"

She really is lucky I love her so much.  After being ostracized on the deck for about 2 1/2 hours, I finally took pity and let her in for good.

But only on the rug just inside the door.

"Yes, mommy.  I will stay right here and be a good dog."

She is asleep on the floor by the couch where I am sitting.  Usually she is up on the couch with me.  Not tonight.  She hasn't even "asked".

I did stop referring to her as "the dog" and she's Lucy again.

Oh Lucy.  You are still a bit of a dirty dog.  I am hoping I don't need to give you another bath tomorrow.

potd #76.  Swamp Dog.  Trouble.

Friday Finds on St. Patty Saturday

I found some great things on Pinterest this week.

These are called Sour Patch Grapes.  I found them at Pure Sugar.  They look easy & fun.  

I am starting to get the gardening bug.  I can't wait for the weather to really warm up to start working outside.  I found this "What To Plant Now" chart.  It looks like it's going to be very helpful this spring!

Isn't this a great rug from Garnet Hill?  I just love all the colors.  I think I may get the blue or green one for my downstairs bathroom.

This Strawberry Cream Pie is making me long for June.  And fresh strawberries.  I may just eat the whole pie myself.

This would make a fantastic beach bag.  The company is called Dermond Peterson and they have such colorful bags, pillows, prints, kitchen towels, etc.  

potd #75.  Nothing like walking into free face painting at Old Navy today!  The girls & I did a little shopping today.  Our last stop was Old Navy where they were having special events for St. Patrick's Day.  We almost didn't do the face painting, but decided to stop on our way out.  So glad we did!  They were so pleased with their faces.  Happy girls.

Peeps, Jelly Beans, & Tulips

Bunco tonight.  Tired.

I found an idea on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought it would be adorable to put together for Easter/Spring.

So, I collected my supplies.

Square Vase. Check.  Bunny Peeps.  Check.  Jelly Beans.  Check.  Tulips. Check.

All set to go.

I put a glass pint jar inside the square vase.  It was the perfect size.  Just enough room to fit the Peeps and jelly beans.

Love the colors of the jelly beans.

Almost there.  Love the purple Peeps bunnies.

I just love the way this turned out.  It is a happy centerpiece for my dining room table.

Here is a link to the original.  

Planning on doing my Pinterest Friday Finds on Saturday.  I know.  I am such a rebel.  

potd #74.  I just love the colors of these jelly beans.  Really nothing says Spring like some jelly beans.  

F.R.O.Z.E.N.

Frozen doesn't even come close to describe how cold I was standing outside while the girls had lacrosse tonight.

Numb.  That's a good word.  So is icicle.

Lacrosse was from 5:30-7:15ish.  And it started out not so bad.  A little cold.  Ha!

By about 6ish it was really cold.  Really, really really cold.  I am really not exaggerating.  You can ask my friend A that I was standing with tonight.

So much for the spring-like weather we have had for the last few days.  Now, mind you I am sure the temps were still in the low 50's tonight.  But it was windy.  And that makes it C.O.L.D.

A wide view of just some of the kids out playing tonight.  This is the 3rd week of a lacrosse clinic.  Next week is the last week.  All age of players come out for the clinic.  Kids from age 8-high school age participate.

I think even my camera got cold tonight. In order to get the far away shots, I put on my big zoom lens.  But it was not happy at all.

The first few pictures I took with it weren't too bad.  Then it didn't seem to want to focus.  Hmmmmm.

Result = me not taking many pictures.

By this point my hands were so cold I was ok with putting the camera away & just keep my hands buried in my vest pocket.

Yes, you read that right.  My VEST pocket.  See, I wasn't really planning on it being that cold.  So I wore a vest and a light long sleeved t-shirt.  Won't make that mistake again.

My only saving grace was that I was able to spend the 90 minutes chatting with my good friend A.

We talked and laughed a lot.  I probably would've been way more frozen if I had not been laughing so much.  Thanks A for hanging with me!

I think next time it's this cold we tell the girls we are waiting in the car.  Most definitely.  And use the heated seats.

D with her stick, goggles, and mouth guard.  And new top.  All geared up.  She loves the goggles.

Even with all the running they did, D&E were even cold.  So, we made our way to the car.  And blasted the heat.  And I turned my heated seat on.  And I was still frozen/numb when we got home.

The girls enjoyed a nice hot shower.  I am thinking I won't be completely warm until I am all snuggled in bed later.

A hot cup of tea might help.  Not to drink.  Just to hold the mug.

Just kidding, I'll drink it. But not until I've held it for a good long while.

potd #73.  E all geared up too.  She's wearing a new pullover.  Hubby always calls them Sporty Spice when he sees them in "sports gear".  He's very funny.

Fabric Softener & A Meat Baster

Bet that title got your attention!

Today I decided to wash all of the girls coats.  So, I pulled them out of the closet.

Man, do they have a lot of coats.  Amazingly, they do wear them all.

I did read the washing instructions because I was pretty sure I need to make sure they were all zipped, velcro fastened, etc.

Then I read the "do not use fabric softener" part.  Oh, ok.  Good thing I read the instructions.

I proceeded to put the 1st load of coats into the washer.  Remember, we have a lot of coats.

I start the water and go ahead with my "normal" wash routine.

Add detergent. Check.  Add fabric softener to fabric softener compartment.  Oh, shoot!

Bad words go through my head.  And I think what the heck am I supposed to do now??????

Then I think, get the meat baster!  And a coffee mug!

So, off to the kitchen I go.  To get the meat baster & a coffee mug.

Then it's back to the washer.  And I suction out the fabric softener(which I had added water to) and squeeze it into the mug.  After about 3 suctions I have it all out of the compartment.

Crisis averted.

Phew.  That was close.  Now, I am not sure what would have happened to the coats if they had gone through the cycle with the fabric softener.  But, I sure didn't want to find out.

I am guessing it would have taken away some of the "water repellency" of the coats. Maybe.

I was super smart on the 2nd load of coats.  No fabric softener added.

So, now you know if you screw up the wash and add fabric softener to the compartment when your not supposed to----get the meat baster!

With all the spring like weather we have had this week, the girls have been scootering and biking away all week after school.

Hubby & I(really Hubby, if it was up to me they wouldn't do this EVER!) have decided the girls are big enough to ride their bikes in the road a bit.  By themselves.  Gulp.

One of us has to be out with them while they are riding.  Baby steps.  Luckily we have a nice park bench to sit on to watch.

D & E are allowed to ride up to where our neighbor across the street has their mailbox.  Then they cross to the other side.  Gulp.

Double Gulp.

After they cross, they ride down the street to just about where our neighbor on our side of the street has their mailbox.  And they cross.  Again.  Gulp.

E on her way up.  They are so excited that they can now do this on the road without Dad with them.  And they know that Mommy is being a bit of a nervous Nellie.

D cruising by me.  Her confidence in riding is growing by leaps and bounds.  That's a good thing.  So, I'll just gulp away.

I am always on the look-out for cars.  Our house is on a straightaway, which is great. And not so great.  There are a couple of curves in the road passed our house.

And people drive much too fast down our road.  We are the 2nd house on the right. So, when people come out of the curves and hit the straightaway, they really speed up.  Grrrrrr.

At the other end, people turn onto our road and really start to pick up some speed as they go passed our house, before they hit the curves.

So, I am a bit of a nervous Nellie.  And they did great.  They watched out for cars.  Mostly.

I helped.  Ok, maybe they think I nagged.  But, that's my prerogative.  I am their mother.

Update on D:  This morning when I went in the girls' room to wake them up, D opened her eyes and watched me thoughtfully.  I sat on E's bed and went through my usual chorus of "good morning", "time to wake up".  I didn't say a word while D watched me.  I knew she was thinking about last night.  E was starting to rouse herself when D got up and climbed into my lap.  She hugged me and said, "I'm sorry Mommy."  I told her I knew she was sorry.  And I reminded her it wasn't the dresses I was so upset about, but the lying.  Hoping she gets it.  Time will tell.

E with her potato decorated like the green pig from Angry Birds.  She was very excited.

potd #72.  Goofy D with her red Angry Bird potato.  She is such a ham!  This was just one of about a dozen pictures that I took of her being a complete goof & making all sorts of faces with the potato.  Silly D.

A Battle and Some Spuds

I am tired.  Beat.

Had a little battle with the girls tonight while they were taking their showers.

Ugh.

In the spirit of Year of the Cat, I had cleaned out the girls' closet this morning.  I left about 5 dresses on E's bed neatly folded.

E was in the shower 1st and D followed her up a few minutes later.  A little bit after that, I went up to check on things.

When I got into their room I saw strewn about on D's bed the dresses that had previously been neatly folded on E's bed.

So, I go into the bathroom where both girls are and innocently ask, "Who tossed all the dresses that were folded on E's bed all over D's bed?"

And what do I get?  From each of them  "not me", "I didn't do it".

Really?  Do I look stupid?

Long story short, let's just say that there was a bit of yelling on my part.

I tried to stress the fact that I wasn't worried about the dresses and was more upset that one of them was lying to me.

My gut tells me E did not do it.  I really think that D did it.

And, she kept telling me that she even though she didn't do it, she would take "the blame" for it.  Bleck.  Hate these moments in parenting.

Lots of crying from D.  Going to let her stew on it a bit and talk to her tomorrow. Need the time to think about the best way to handle her.

Now, prior to that bruhaha, we had a wonderful evening.

Hubby's younger brother, C came to visit us today.  He and Hubby went for a hike during the day.  They were home for dinner and we had a great night.

Before dinner, the girls had to decorate a potato to bring to Awana tomorrow night. Awana is a Christian program run by a local church.  It is very much like scouting where the kids learn Bible verses and earn different levels of rewards.  They love it.

We decided to go with the Angry Birds theme.  D decided to do the red bird and E did the green pig.

D working on her red bird.

E cutting green felt for her pig.

Gluing her green felt onto the potato.

D getting the googly eyes glued on.  Starting to come together.

E putting some of the finishing touches onto the pig.  She did a great job.

Nice work E!  Can't wait to hear how Awana is tomorrow night!

potd #71.  D's red Angry Bird.  She even added some red feathers to the top of the head and black feathers for a tail.  Forgot to take pictures!  May have to add a couple tomorrow of the girls & their potatoes.

Capital S, Lower Case s, Spectacular

Spectacular.

Splendid.

Sunny.

Superb.

Spring.

Seventy.

Look at all those 'S' words.  Aren't they something?!?  Couldn't resist that one. Heehee.

Seriously(oops there's another one!) though, today was spectacular.

Days like today make me dream of summer.  Warm sunny summer days.

But, until then I will take warm sunny spring days.  Or almost spring days.

It even smelled like spring.  Fresh air, nothing like it!

How wonderful it was to go out to the grocery store and not have to wear a jacket.  It felt pretty darn fantastic.

When the girls got home, all they wanted to do was play outside.  That was their homework.  They thought that was pretty cool.

Since they have Jazz on Mondays, they were able to get outside for about a 1/2 hour before we had to leave.

D scootering down our front walkway.  I love that her tongue is out while she is concentrating hard on not falling!

While the girls were scootering, I took a walk around the front yard to see what I could find that was starting to pop up.  Here are the very beginnings of some daylilies.

E concentrating.  On going fast.

She's learned by crouching low, the faster she goes.  And the walkway goes downhill just enough to catch some good speed.

E loves to bank this little corner on the walkway.  It leads right onto the driveway. Tonight after coming home from jazz, they went back out to scooter.  All was going fine until E fell off her scooter onto the driveway.

There was quite a bit of crying.  Her shin was scraped and elbow was scraped and bleeding.  Luckily she was easy to make laugh when I was cleaning her up.  Happy E.

Tulip popping up.  Love it.

Wish E was in focus.  Love the expression on her face.

D, still with her tongue out.  Obviously it is what keeps her from falling.  She didn't fall once.  Guess I better tell E the trick to not falling!

potd #70.  D with her basketball.  She loves basketball.  Definitely need to get a hoop for them to play in the driveway.  Right now they just aim for a spot I showed them above the garage.