Hope and greyz

It was sort of a rough weekend

2010-07-07T15:41:00.002-04:00

I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July weekend. I wish I could say we did but.....

We had agreed to meet up with some friends to watch the fireworks at Great Meadows at 7:30 p.m. I fed the dogs dinner, made sure they had been out, then crated them with some chew toys - thinking that would be the safest place for them to be. I asked my eldest son to stop by (he was at a friends house) to check on the dogs around 10:30 p.m. (Realizing that the sun doesn't set until around 9:00 p.m.) We then received a phone call asking where had we left Hero when we left the house? "In the crate of course, why?".

Well, what he found was the front of Hero's crate dismantled- the picture above shows it after we had reassembled it- (pictures for the blog actually weren't my first thought when I arrived home- sorry) and Hero upstairs. This meant that Hero not only busted out of his crate but jumped the 3 foot baby gate at the family room door. Hero? My Hero ?, who on an activity scale of 1- 5 is a -1?? He was uninjured except for the top of his nose being rubbed a little raw and his gums being a little bloody. (As I write this it would no longer by visible in a picture.) While we assume it was the fireworks, my son said he did not see or hear anyone blowing off fireworks in our neighborhood by the time he got home. Needless to say ,next year I stay home (though I really hate the idea of leaving Doug responsible for all 4 kids alone- especially in a huge crowd). I guess what I'm saying is the 4th of July is NOT my favorite holiday!

Then Monday we said Vaya Con Dios to Mackey. Also not my favorite thing!!

Who would have thought that we could become so attached to him in only 9 days?

We already have one of the best greyhounds ever, I guess it was God's plan that we let someone else have this one.....

I've been a bad, bad, blogger

2010-07-03T17:07:00.006-04:00

We have had a new house guest for a whole week already and I am just now getting around to posting about it. (100 lashes with a wet noodle are definitely in order),

Of course, those of you on Facebook have already seen these videos/ pictures. Somehow a quick post to my Facebook Wall has just seemed easier than trying to put together a coherent Blog post lately, sorry.

So coherent or not, without further ado...

Introducing Kiowa Talk Mystic (aka Mackey).

This is a short, no-fail, type foster, because he already has a family who is excited about adopting him after July 4th.

I guess it is a good thing, since there are an awful lot of people over here, who would be tempted to foster fail with this fellow. In fact, there is still talk of hiding him in the closet when the time comes to deliver him.

He picked up the idea of fetch almost immediately:

And he did wonderfully at the dog park even though it was really busy with dogs of all shapes and sizes. (Yes, that is another greyhound you spy in the mix- our friends Harper and Sara came to the park to play too.)

The one thing he has been less good about is the "no fosters on the furniture" rule. Check out his
very slow "woe is me" walk when he is removed from the sofa.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the service men and women who defend our country and this very precious thing called freedom. Happy July 4th, one and all !!!!!!!

More Greyt News

2010-06-14T21:19:00.007-04:00

Jillie Ann made her way to her forever home on Saturday. She must have really liked the idea of going for a car ride, because she wagged her tail so hard , she gave herself a case of "happy tail". It AMAZES me that such a teeny, tiny, cut at the very tip of her tail could spray so many droplets of blood so far and so high. The spray was very fine, but it still gave a pretty good impersonation a crime scene (luckily I did not attract the attention of the police ;-) Fortunately, the bleeding was easily stopped, and the cut was barely visible.
Unfortunately, I hear that Michelle (who was holding the adoption at her house) got a repeat performance on her walls and rug (Sorry guys ! I did try to get word to you beforehand).
Yes, I now have a first aid kit in my car as well. I purchased an extra one on Sunday at our monthly VAGA meet and greet at PetCo.

There were familiar faces:

As well as a few new friends:

It was pretty hot, but thank goodness there was a breeze

It seems Genevieve, who played photographer for the day, did not venture indoors to get a picture of the Great Pyrenees Rescue which had appropriated the indoors of the PetCo. I would say next time, but we have been promised that they will choose a different Sunday of the month in the future :-)

Works in Progress (part 1)

2010-06-08T20:14:00.009-04:00

We continue to make progress with our current foster hound- Jill E. Ann (Jillie).

She arrived with a few extra friends/stowaways (fleas) who were quickly dispatched.

Next we dealt with a limp, from an apparent pulled muscle of her front right leg (which meant several days of rest- very short leash walks, Rimadyl, and putting off learning the stairs).

Jillie is still a young dog (she will be 3 in August), and unfortunately, as with children, inactivity/boredom can lead to destructive behavior....

We have not seen her limp in a few days, so her walks are getting progressively longer, and we are starting stair training, hopefully that and the bitter apple spray will help focus her on more productive uses of her time and energy.

Speaking of less than productive uses of one's time...

Pepsi spent a LONG time whining at the window, can you see why? (look near the flower pot)

So do you think the cat knew that he was driving her crazy?

And Jillie takes the prize, with her 15 minutes of staring at the television (after it had been turned off)

Communicating with poltergeist?

Trying to turn it back on by the sheer force of her will?

Or just admiring the gorgeous hound reflected in the television screen?
One way or the other, you have to admit that is one impressive "sit".

And the winners are....

2010-05-27T13:35:00.011-04:00

I am very greytful to our friends at Life's Little Moments for thinking of us for the Versatile Blogger award.

Below are the rules for this award:

Rule 1) Thank the person who gave you the award-

A Big Thank-Roo to Michelle, Mitch, and the pups .....

Rule 2) Post seven things about yourself :

No earth shattering revelations to share, but here goes anyway:

1) I was born and raised in Yonkers, New York ( pronounced - Yon-kuz ;-P)

2) My DH (Darling Husband) Doug and I will have been married 22 years this July.

3) We have been blessed with 5 healthy, brilliant, gorgeous, children- ranging in age from 4 years old to 21. ( & No, I am not biased, I'm just sharing the facts :-)

4) We adopted our Jack Russell- Beagle mix- Pepsi, on Super Bowl Sunday 2002.

5) 4 weeks after we adopted her, (while on a walk) she was mauled by a neighbor's dog (a large shepherd mix) who had gotten loose. And required immediate surgery.

2 weeks later she was attacked again by the same dog. Those neighbors have since moved away.

6) In July 2008, while researching dogs that might be able to tolerate a 28 pound Diva, with SEVERE large dog fear issues, my daughter Alaina discovered a retired racing greyhound rescue site. By August 2008 we had adopted Hero (racing name Star All Star), our 85 pound couch potato extraordinaire.

7) Adopting Hero has changed my life in so many more ways than simply adding a four legged friend .

Because of Hero we found Stowe and Maria's blog Halfway Home Hounds. (Stowe and Maria were Hero's foster family- for a few hours ;-)

Which led to my starting my own blog- this blog, which in turn led to my meeting Angela and Tracy from Treasure What You Have, which led to our fostering greyhounds for VAGA (and meeting all VAGA's other Greyt volunteers- including Michelle and Mitch). And so on, and so on...

Which brings us to

Rule 3)

Passing the award along.

Fumbled Returns- a bit of nepotism here (this is DH's blog)

AND Gina Robbo (especially for pointing out this site ;-)

If you have already received this award- Well, congratulations again. We like you, we really like you ;-)

I Love Swirlies !

2010-05-22T17:47:00.007-04:00

No, really I do ! I love swirly...faces :-) ~Daisy~
We said happy trails to Miss Daisy on April 30th, she has found a wonderful forever home; complete with 3 little boys to love, a greyhound mix brother named Micky, and wall to wall carpeting!
So, we now have a new house guest- Jill E. Ann. At the kennel in Orlando they called her Annie, but my kids insist on calling her Jilly-Bean.
She has only been with us for 24 hours, but we already know the following about her:
She has not had an accident in the house
she walks very politely on a leash
she is cat, small dog, and little kid safe
she closes her eyes in ecstasy when you pet her just right :-)

Amusing, Amazing, April !

2010-04-20T07:56:00.018-04:00

Warning:
This is going to be a long, photo intensive, post. Those of you not actually related to me may find it hard to make it to the very end. Don't worry I will not hold it against you (and there will not be a quiz later :)
April has been a wild, wonderful, action packed month for us. (and of course -it's not over yet)
It started with Easter complete with Easter egg hunts:

And Chocolate Bunnies :

Unfortunately Alaina found out the hard way what happens when chocolate bunnies are left in the sun.

Next came Genna's 12th birthday (literally- her birthday was the day after Easter this year). Of course her actual party waited until the following weekend.

The theme was "at the movies". The girls made their own "American Idol " video.

And "cardboard Chris Pine" made a surprise appearance.

Don't you just love siblings?

I promise Mark is not flipping anyone off, though it certainly looks that way.
The VERY next day was the VAGA meet and greet/ book signing with Kevin Brett, author of Jack: The Christmas Collie. (with a guest appearance by Captain Jack Sparrow- the Christmas Collie)

Daisy and Harper (don't you love Harper's expression ?- She was obviously very impressed to be meeting a celebrity ;-)
~

Mother and daughter (Harper and Sara)

VAGA president Debbie Ackley with Maggie.

Genna with Jack Sparrow and Daisy
~

The following Tuesday (yes- Tuesday) was Alaina's confirmation. (with brother Eric as her sponsor).

Small, rural, churches do not get a Saturday visit from the Bishop of the dioceses. So instead we had Tuesday evening with the Bishop from Juneau, Alaska.

BUT PLEASE do not think I am complaining !!!
You see, we actually left our very large church about a year ago, to start attending a small Catholic Mission, which holds mass in the local junior high school's cafeteria. There are many reasons why, but I think the following anecdotes say it all.
The children from our mission joined the children from our "parent" parish -St. Stephen Martyr in Middleburg, Va. at their tiny church for confirmation. I knew I liked this community, when I saw the elderly aunt of one of the younger priests bring her little toy poodle INTO the church for the ceremony. And yes, we were blessed to have her choose to sit down right next to Will and I :) (Dog people unite!)
She explained that the dog was old, and had seizures, and that she refused to leave it home alone. After all she said, it would just sit on her lap and wouldn't bother anyone. Will and I heartily agreed! I told her if Hero would fit on my lap I would be very happy to do the same.
It is generally frowned upon to take pictures in the church- but I am now really kicking myself for not sneaking a picture.

The sermon from the bishop of Juneau went something like this ( I promise this is worth reading to the end :) :

A little girl asked her father, “Daddy, where did human beings come from?”
Her father said, “Well, a long time ago, God created Adam in his image. Then he made Eve from Adam's rib. Adam and Eve had children, and then their children had children, and so on, and so on, and that is how you and I came into being.”

A few days later, the same little girl was helping her mother with chores, and as children often do (play questions and answers off of each parent) asked her mother the same question.

Her mom said, “Well, a long time ago, there were these monkeys, who evolved into other types of primates, who in turn kept evolving, and so on, and so on, until eventually becoming humans as we know them today. And that is how you and I came into being.”

The little girl was truly shocked and amazed by this answer and went running to find her father, very upset.

“Daddy! Remember when I asked you the other day where we came from, and you said people were made by God?”

“Yes”, said her father.
"Well, I just asked Mommy the same question, and she said we came from monkeys! One of you is lying!"
"Oh", her father said calmly. "That is actually very easy to explain- I was talking about MY side of the family and she was speaking about Her side."

Compare this to churches where we have literally had 1/2 hour sermons on how most of the congregation is not dressed appropriately for church, and you can see why I LOVE these people!

This past week the brand new "Piedmont Dogs" off- leash park (at Vint Hill) opened it's gates.

A HUGE thanks to everyone who helped make this park a reality.

Miss Daisy LOVED the little dogs :) But honestly it was more "herding" than chasing down prey.

Hero and Franny (the long and the short of it :)

No, those are not deer running across the field, they are some of our good friends from VAGA (Harper and her daughter Sara).

Harper
~Sara

Next weekend .... GIG (Greyhounds in Gettysburg).

A new season, a new look

2010-04-05T21:26:00.004-04:00

Time to put a little "spring" into the ol' blog, don't you think?
Oh, it still contains plenty of "greys", but for right now, adding a few flowers seemed appropriate.
Speaking of flowers...
One of our FAVORITE flowers is back with us.
Miss Daisy is once again our house guest, through absolutely NO fault of her own (she didn't even bother those silly little kitties -though we have been told that her mere presence was traumatizing to them... )
Anyway, we are glad to have her company for a while longer, unfortunately, she STILL hates our hardwood and laminate floors :-(
Anyway here is a video I put together for her before Easter. Since she is once again available for adoption, I get to share it with you.

Happy Easter And Happy Trails....

2010-04-03T15:32:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter One and ALL.

Happy Trails Miss Daisy. Be a good girl for your new family, and don't chase those kitties.

Please vote for Hero

2010-03-26T08:41:00.004-04:00

5 finalists for each of the 12 weeks, and not a greyhound in the group?
Don't they know that greyhounds RULE the couch?
Please click on the button to the right and vote for Hero, lets get some of this prize money donated to greyhound rescue.

http://www.bissell.com/mvp_PetDetail.aspx?id=8590160377

Driving Miss Daisy

2010-03-14T18:34:00.007-04:00

Hero here, all ready for the "Saint Patrick's Day" Meet and Greet.

I want to thank all our Greyt volunteers.
Harper, our "donations dog". She looks greyt in green too.

Venus joined us too. Looks like someone told her a funny joke- perhaps the one about leprechan and the golfer

~
the lovely Miss Ginger, We are all impressed with how far she has come! No longer the shy baby, she beguiles all passers-by with her continental charm and good looks.

and believe it or not-
Macy, Buford, and Puddin' actually made it with Tracy.
Such dedication!

And of course it was Daisy's first Meet and Greet.

I stuck by her side and gave her lots of reassuring hugs.

and showed her just how this "ambassadog" thing is done.

but this P.R. stuff is tiring work

Daisy is glad to be back home resting in her crate (she crosses her legs in the most lady-like manner)

Me , I have my own style of hanging loose.

Have a GREYT week y'all

Something for Everyone

2010-03-08T20:20:00.003-05:00

My DH has a blog of his own called Fumbled Returns
His blog tends to focus more on sports and financial topics, my blog is all kids (those with fur and those without). In the interest marital bliss and togetherness he decided to run a contest that we both can get behind :)

http://fumbledreturns.blogspot.com/2010/02/mutt-madness.html

All the info is at this link,
But just so you know- the grand prize is a custom portrait/ print of your dog painted by yours truly.
Please enter anyway :-)

It's A Mystery

2010-03-05T18:08:00.004-05:00

Do I have a Sherlock Holmes, a Columbo, or even an Inspector Clouseau among my readers?
Ok so, short story long...(Do I ever tell a story any other way?)
The Blizzard of 2010 took quite a toll on the trees in our backyard.
We have all been getting quite the work out cleaning up the devastation.

Will and I were out back again today, moving branches. I did not bother locking up any of the dogs . We normally give Pepsi and Hero run of the house, and as I have mentioned Daisy does NOT leave the family room by her own volition.
When we came back in the house, Pepsi and Hero were on the living room sofa (as usual), and Daisy was in her crate- BUT so was this....

No, not the green lambie -Look closer

Doug's work glove. I know it was by the front door when I went out. I also know that it probably smells amazing with all that cedar sap. But would Hero or Pepsi have brought the glove into Daisy's crate, (especially with her in it)? Unlikely.
Hero is NOT a big chewer, Pepsi is crate-phobic and NOT into sharing.
But I consider it just as unlikely that Daisy walked calmly all the way to the front door and back and even picked something up along the way.
So tell me, what's your verdict?

Are you my mother?

2010-03-04T09:17:00.005-05:00

Quick post.
Miss Daisy is such a love !- She greets everyone (including Will- age 3 ) with kisses, greyhound hugs and the cutest tentative helicopter tail you have ever seen. I am guessing that it has not always been so tentative- because it is missing it's tip (victim of happy tail?).
But lately everything that she does is tentative, because she is NOT loving the smooth floors in our house ! I have done close to 100 laps around the downstairs with her and she actually walked to the front door on her own last night (she does LOVE her walks!) But she is so nervous on the smooth floors that she will NOT take any treats until she reaches "base"- the throw rug in the family room or living room.
She is the easiest foster EVER because she keeps herself in "time-out"- crate, or rug- most of the day. But unlike some other hounds (who shall remain nameless ;) she does not whine about it.
She has not had ANY accidents in the house (more than I can say for our 9 year old Jack Russell- Pepsi). I just wish that she could relax and become a more relaxed, playful dog; the dog she was meant to be.
If you have room in your home (WITH wall to wall carpeting) please contact VAGA 703-288-4649. And I will try to bring myself to part with this little sweetheart.

Sweet!!

2010-02-28T14:43:00.006-05:00

The word of the day (or week) is "sweet".
That is because our darling daughter Alaina turned sweet 16 last Sunday.
Her surprise party started with a "one horse open sleigh ride" with her best friend, Brandy.

Then partying with her nearest and dearest friends:

Playing pool and darts.

Oh yes, and Surprise Guest, Chris Pine of Star Trek fame :)

Sweet also describes our new foster "Chasing Daisies"

She is awfully skinny, but I am confident that the Panacur, plus the Bratwurst that we hide her pills in will fix that.

She seems to be that very rare type of greyhound who appreciates the value of the "Disney" channel.

Plenty of kisses to go around

Have a Greyt week all...

Hearts and Hounds

2010-02-14T21:40:00.009-05:00

A somewhat belated Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.
I have a pretty good excuse for being tardy with my wishes. We spent several hours today participating in VAGA's Meet and Greet.
Valentine's Day is all about love. And well, greyhounds and love just go together, don't they? :)

Hero and Gracie

Puddin' with her entourage (Hero and Buford make impressive body guards don't you think?)

Lovely Miss Macy

Elegant Ginger (with a "sit" that would inspire any sculptor)

Handsome Buford
Blurry or not, that is one happy face!
~

Sweet Harper
~

Now Miss Puddin' has an interesting habit of walking underneath Hero. She has done it on several occasions. Normally she will simply continue on her way but, this time she was mesmerized by the birds and well.....

Truly, My Hero has the patience of a Saint.

Here is what she was so focused on.

Super Bowl vs. Snow Ball

2010-02-07T23:03:00.006-05:00

Here in Virginia we are experiencing one of the "worst" snowstorms of the last 100 years. (I think officially it is #3). I say "worst" but the kids definitely think "best".

The trees, on the other hand, are not coping well- lots of branches down.

And as for the dogs-
I think W.T. wooF?
Pretty much sums it up.

I believe our official total was 26" of snow- though plenty of drifts are MUCH deeper.
Thank Heaven we still have power (many are not as lucky).
We could still eat our barbecue ribs, stuffed potato skins, and fajitas,
and watch the Saints win the Super Bowl!

Mango / Biggie Z Dogpile contest

2010-01-23T14:10:00.002-05:00

Mango and Biggie Z are co-hosting a contest they are calling "dogpile".
The rules are simple enough - see how many "objects" you can pile on your dog before he or she "objects" :)
This is the kind of competition where Hero can really shine- it consists of lying still . And with 5 kids we have a good supply small toys.
Here is Hero's entry:

Hero
Male
Retired greyhound
34" long
27 toys (Horse,tan dog,yellow dog,striped squid.tiger,yellow gecko- on feet not floor:) ,penguin,bumble bee,clown,orange tiger rattle,purple dinosaur,b/w checkered whale,lion,blue&stars ball,black cat,b/w checkered dinosaur,white dog,green lamb,red mouse,tiger,red penguin keychain,blue meerkat,blue dog,red tiger,red wart hog,brown dog with white face,anteater)

For the small dog category we have Pepsi:

Pepsi
female
Jack Russell/ beagle mix
20" long
15 toys (pink bear,horse,bug rattle,striped squid,Red dog,chicken Christmas tree,yellow dog,grey octopus,lion,yellow dog,tiger rattle,Bumblebee,clown,tiger,cow)
The challenge is ON

Thank you (cards)

2010-01-19T10:51:00.005-05:00

Thanks for all the greyt suggestions ! !!
(I have narrowed it down to the following submissions)
Now it is up to our friends at Houndstooth-
Which set of cards do YOU want?

Dare to Daydream

Paws for Reflection...
~

I'm bursting with Enthusiasm... On the inside
~

No caption

A little help from my friends please....

2010-01-15T11:02:00.007-05:00

As you know our friends at Houndstooth were visitor # 10,000 - and thus we owe them a prize.
Having fun with one of the photos Carrie sent me of her gorgeous hound Bunny, I decided to branch out into a new medium; watercolors.
Now "experimenting" on someone else's greyhound definitely doesn't sound good, but I promise, no hounds were harmed in the creation of this print,
and I did warn her that you get what you pay for...

So here is where the "help" comes in. I am looking for a witty caption/ title for this pic. (The intention being to print it into a greeting / note card- my first thought was something like "Tales from the couch..." But I know y'all can do better) And how about we say, the winner gets some note cards too ????...

Warrenton Meet and Greet

2010-01-11T08:50:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was our monthly VAGA Meet and Greet, right here in lovely Warrenton, Virginia :)

Ambassadogs extraordinaire : Puddin' Pop, Harper, and Hero.

Harper has a secret to share with Puddin'.

No one can resist scritchin' Puddin's belly.

No worries- even right in the middle of the aisle is just fine :)

We met up with a young fellow even bigger than my Hero

Breezer came to join the fun too. Unfortunately Genna had grabbed our OLD digital camera - the one whose auto focus doesn't work dependably anymore...
I LOVED Harper's expression in the following picture but the focus ended up being really soft, so a little "Be Funky" treatment and-

Have a GREYT week all !

Did you hear?

2010-01-09T15:48:00.003-05:00

The very first thing I want to do is thank ALL our blogger buddies for visiting our blog. (Y'all got us to 10,000 visitors in a hurry :)
But congratulations go to our friends at Houndstooth for being visitor # 10,000.
I have requested (and received) pictures of one of her greyhounds and will be coming up with a prize.
Stay tuned....
Secondly, we say good-bye to our friend Broadway Bark (aka Bart)- now Sinclair.
He is going to a wonderful forever home, with experienced greyhound owners- and will have 3 lovely new greyhound sisters.
We will all miss you "Bart" , but trust me you have hit the greyhound -forever home- jackpot.

Will you be #10,000 ??

2010-01-07T14:40:00.002-05:00

I noticed my visitor counter for this blog is getting VERY close to 10,000.
I really should have a prize for my 10,000th visitor, don't cha' think?
Of course #10,000 will probably be my DH or DD who regularly troll my blog without leaving comments- (yes you- you know you do!)
Oh well, if you notice that my counter reads 10,000 at your visit, let me know, and I'll see what I can come up with.

A Musical Happy New Year

2009-12-31T21:32:00.004-05:00

I was looking for a unique way to wish all our Blogging buddies a Happy New Year

YouTube - dog lang syne

Not to be out-done "Bart" most certainly does his racing name "Broadway" proud- he is quite the singer!
But note how he stops on a dime when Mark says "I think that's enough".
If you need a nice rich baritone to add to your choir, please contact VAGA.

Broadway in Virginia

2009-12-29T09:33:00.005-05:00

I can tell that there will be LOTS of photo ops. with our new friend Broadway Bark. This big, SOLID, fellow, is so friendly !, And he seems to be up for anything!
During our first walk he wanted to climb all the snow banks- making us think he must be a New Yorker ( & familiar with snow) rather than a Florida boy.
I do have a confession though- when we told Will that his name was Broadway Bark- Will started calling him "Bart" so now we are all calling him "Bart"- sorry.
"Bart" is a very confident boy.
Toys and video games that make loud odd noises are interesting to him-

and on occasion we even catch him watching television.
I don't have a picture of it yet, but as the kids were playing Wii- and flailing their arms around- instead of being afraid, "Bart" was right there in the middle of them leaning up against them and asking to be petted.
He did WONDERFULLY on our trip to PetCO yesterday charming everyone he met-we predict he will be a STELLAR Meet and Greet ambassadog (but it still takes a little convincing to actually get him into the car).
I think it is pretty obvious that he has no personal space issues (though Hero does not seem thrilled about the idea of having a room mate :).- The silly boy just followed Hero into his crate.
He has started hoarding toys, and will pick up the toys we throw for him and stash them in his (or Hero's) crate. I bet in time this will be a greyhound that actually plays fetch!

Did I mention that he is a BIG Goofy boy?

If you think "Bart" is the dog for you and your family please contact VAGA
www.virginiagreyhounds.org

How are y'all doin?

2009-12-27T14:25:00.008-05:00

This has been quite an exciting week.
While we did not have lots of company for Christmas, when you have 5 kids (+ my oldest son's girlfriend) the house is already full.
One of the favorite gifts this year is the Wii :

One small drawback is after 3 days of playing- none of us can raise our arms (Wii-itis)

Last night the guys of the family went to the Capitals hockey game :

(yay- they won!)

This morning the girls and I got an early start and headed down to Fredericksburg to pick up a house guest. It was really cold and foggy.

Lucky for us Optimus Prime decided to show us the way :)

The hauler arriving in the parking lot.
~

This is Boc's Jet Leg (aka Jean)

And this Handsome fellow is Broadway Bark.

Broadway Bark will be visiting with us for a while.

Alaina whispers sweet nothings in Broadway's Ear.

There are lots of hands more than ready to do some petting at our house

But right now, I think we could all use a nap.
More updates soon....

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T11:07:00.006-05:00

We wish all our "Blogger Buddies" a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, New Year!
Here's hoping you get everything you're wishing for.....

Blizzard of 2009

2009-12-19T13:50:00.003-05:00

Yup- I went there... I called it a blizzard.

This is what greets us at the back door.

16 + inches and it is still falling

Hero says "what the Heck is this nonsense?"

Can you find Pepsi in this picture?
~
And the required Alaina Facebook shots :)

Happy Birthday !

2009-12-12T06:41:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Best Friend.
(No, not Hero.)

A walk in the park

2009-11-28T17:34:00.006-05:00

This could almost be a wordless post- I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves :)

A Beautiful day, with Gorgeous Dogs:

Sky
~

Hero
~

Mia
~

Sirius
~

Abby
(but who let Abby watch "New Moon"?)
~
The next few pictures are so sweet they make my teeth hurt :)

Will and 10 week old puppy Jack
~

Hero greets Jack

Being Artsy

2009-11-27T17:00:00.006-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
One of the things I gave the children to do to keep them busy while I was cooking dinner, was to decorate cupcakes as turkeys.
I think they are almost recognizable as turkeys....
but as time went on, and fingers got messy- well.....

yum, huh?, I think they may be worthy of www.cakewrecks.com .

I would like to share my newest "painting" project with you, but being that it is planned as a Christmas gift, I guess it must stay under wraps for a while longer....

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

2009-11-26T07:33:00.002-05:00

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A day of Good-byes

2009-11-17T10:40:00.003-05:00

Saturday was a pretty emotional day at our household.
First we drove Rumor down to Glen Allen to meet her prospective new family.
She seemed quite taken with her potential new "parents" and sibling Marley (a very sweet retriever mix). Unfortunately, she and the feline member of the family seemed less sure of one another. Thus Rumor is attending the Ridlon's feline boot-camp this week (you can follow her progress at their blog- Life's little Moments- ) We are confident that they (and their kitty) will convince her that house cats are friends and not food :)
While we are glad that our sweet girl is that much closer to her forever couch (a couch that she will be welcome to lie on, we were told- good thing, because evidently we didn't totally break her of that habit :)
It is always hard to say good-bye...
The other good bye has a less positive end.
Titan, the green American tree frog that Alaina raised from a tadpole for her science class, died Saturday.
I have to admit that when Alaina started the project I did not actually expect him to survive long enough to finish his metamorphosis.
But he did. We got to watch him sprout legs, lose his tail, etc.
Thanks for sharing your short life with us Titan...

What a pair!

2009-11-09T10:28:00.004-05:00

Between the rainy weather, and all the viruses going around, it has been over a month since we have met up with any of our friends for a hike.
(We have been working up to it with our park outings, however)
Sunday all the planets aligned, everyone was healthy, and we were able to enjoy Amazing fall weather for a 3 mile hike.
Hero showed Rumor the ropes...

they almost look like conjoined twins - joined at the shoulder :)
They may walk alike and bark alike, but they do NOT think alike !
Rumor gets very excited seeing rabbits, squirrels, cats, (and falling leaves ;)
Hero finds those things; boring, mundane, totally beneath him- literally, (considering how large our Hero is). But he certainly got very excited when we saw horses and deer (which Rumor completely ignored-)
(Sorry, I tried to get a picture of the large herd of deer (8? maybe) we saw crossing the field, but by the time I got my camera out and turned on, they were gone)

After our hike, I decided that between sharing the trail with horses (use your imagination) and the fact that the dogs have had drier/ flakier skin lately ( I blame it on the crazy weather ) a bath/spa was in order (complete with oatmeal shampoo and conditioner).
I did not take a picture in the tub (I had my hands full between shampooing, rinsing and keeping the greyhounds from getting wobbly :)

Here is bathing beauty Rumor after her bath- note the front legs...

Halloween (in review)

2009-11-01T17:18:00.009-05:00

Halloween did not go quite as expected this year.

I came down with the flu, so my dear husband, Doug, had to pitch-hit when it came to some of the regular activities:

Such as pumpkin picking...
and carving:

That is how we ended up with this very scary jack-o-lantern , sporting the Redskins' record :)

I recovered enough to bring the kids (those with fur and those without) to the ASPCA's Halloween celebration. But the cloudy/ drizzly weather caused their turn out to be pretty disappointing.

Rumor being Alaina's shadow.

Rumor did get to meet a few new friends.

We were a little concerned about the amount of interest she showed in the "pocket" sized pups.

But in the end she did very well.

Hero being dignified (as always).

Homemade Lady Finger cookies - lol.

No not an angel and a devil- Genna is Galadriel from Lord of the Rings and Will is a dragon.

- check out the ears.

Rock and A Hard Place?

2009-10-22T08:18:00.004-04:00

Our school system has sent home consent forms for our children to get the H1N1 vaccine at school. They are requesting that the forms be returned by today.

The problem is that I have not yet been able to decided how I feel about it.

The rumor mill has it that H1N1 is already IN our schools (Fauquier VA). But the schools will neither confirm nor deny it. They only admit to very high absentee rates. If the kids have already been exposed to the virus- the value of receiving the vaccine later this month and then a booster (a month?) later is negligible.
And of course there is the concern that not enough testing was done on this new vaccine- in the rush to get it out to the public.
I very much respect ANYONE'S strongly held conviction- one way or the other, because to me it seems pretty much a crap shoot.

(I realize that this first story is not about the H1N1 vaccine- but I think the argument is still valid)

VS

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A good Rumor to share

2009-10-20T09:21:00.007-04:00

I am wishing that I had a bunch of new, adorable, pictures of Rumor to post on my blog.
Unfortunately, with 5 children with varying degrees/ types of illness (it's that time of year)- the photo-ops have been few and far between. I have 2 kids home sick, and 3 that are still functioning well enough to make it through the school day (but are single handedly keeping the Kleenex and Triaminic companies in business- a free investment tip :)
It is SO much fun watching Rumor come out of her shell.
She is a LEANER. She will stand quietly leaning up against your leg for what seems like hours, certainly for as long as anyone is willing to pet her. (guess where she is as I write this :)

If no one is petting she is exploring and * patroling ALL the windows for squirrels *.
Any potential family should be willing to be alerted of the presence of invading "stuffies". She is a sentry extraordinaire!
She does respond pretty well to correction, though, when she gets too noisy about it. And she is really good about crating.

My parents live in New York. They lost their last dog about 5 years ago. I always wish they were closer- but now, especially, because I think Rumor would be such a good fit for them. I can just picture Rumor leaning up against my mom as "she" (my mom not Rumor) does the crossword puzzle. And I could see her (Rumor, not my mom :) keeping my Dad company while he watches football games on TV- only problem would be that he would turn her into a GIANT's fan .

If you are looking for a friend to watch football (or squirrels) with please contact

VAGA
www.virginiagreyhounds.org

Weekend Washout

2009-10-18T18:29:00.005-04:00

This weekend was pretty much a washout. The weather was so bad that Mark's last Pee Wee football game was canceled, VAGA's annual picnic was postponed, and we skipped both the PW SPCA's fund-raising festival and Leesburg's "Dog Days" festival today.
The only thing that did go on as planned was Alaina's HS Homecoming dance.
Pictures posted below, mostly so that she can get at them for her Facebook page:

Femme Fatale

Once she started being silly:

The siblings needed to join in:

Rumor's first week.

2009-10-08T21:23:00.008-04:00

I brought Rumor to get her stitches out this morning. She was a very good patient (such a brave girl :) I think you can tell by the pictures above, the scar is barely visible (and it blends in perfectly with her brindle pattern.)

Rumor is one curious greyhound :)
She flits about, like a butterfly (albeit a 58 pound butterfly). She is constantly checking out EVERY inch of her surroundings. No worries though, because she's not really much of a thief. She did pull one shirt out of the laundry room this morning, but didn't actually "chew" on it. I was a little concerned when she showed a fair amount of interest in my shoes (but I guess she is just a typical girl who loves shoes), since again, no damage- so far all her chewing has been restricted to Greenies and stuffed Kongs :)- Such a good girl!
She is also unique, in that she is really NOT food motivated!
The first few days she was here, she refused to eat any of her breakfast at all (though she happily polished off her dinner). We tried more water, less water, and feeding her later in the morning- all to no avail. The addition of a LITTLE bit of plain grilled chicken with her rice and kibble completely turned her around ( I guess we will need to wean her off that too).
We are making good head way in convincing her that she does not belong on the family room couch, though she does give us a really good "your not actually serious about this are you?" look. I find it curious that of the 3 foster greyhounds we have had stay with us, she is the first one pick up on the habit simply by watching the resident hounds. I assure you no one "invited' her on the couch. She simply decided on her own that it looked cosier than the dog beds- and that jumping up did NOT look too difficult or scary. ( Unlike Hero, who at first acted like he was climbing Mount Everest.)
Climbing seems to be in her blood.
She took the 4 steps up to our deck without any hesitation (like she had been doing it all her life).
The first time Alaina and I tried to lure her up the inside stairs she flat out refused to move her feet at all- but then today she decided to climb them completely on her own :)
She has improved quite a bit on leash, and will pretty much heel now (unless she sees a squirrel :).
She has lovely manners when greeting most other dogs, though there were two "yappy" smaller dogs that set her to whining and trembling. Since she did not lunge like with squirrels we are still unsure whether the whining and trembling were a sign of fear or excitement.
Finally,
She has not had one single accident in the house since she arrived (I hope I haven't jinxed us!)

My Embarrassing News and Rumor/ Gossip

2009-10-06T11:47:00.007-04:00

Thanks to all my VAGA friends for letting me know that we were indeed in the local Fredericksburg newspaper- "The Free Lance-Star", and while I can not blame them for thinking that Will and Hero were the cutest thing at the Festival, it's definitely NOT a glamor shot for me :(

On to our Rumor

Just the perfect little angel, right?

"Hey Hero, she's not watching right"?
~

"OK Kid, the coast is clear, go for it"
~

Fosters on the furniture is a definite no-no.
~

"Will, what is Rumor doing on the couch?"
"I don't know Mom, I was sleeping, honest!"
We really are working to break her of the habit-
So don't spread it around, ok?

Funny Face

2009-10-05T10:27:00.008-04:00

Hey Pepsi, did you hear? We are getting a new foster dog!

Her racing name was "Gossip Hound"- but we got the thumbs up to use the call name Rumor.
This has had the unintended side effect of the kids calling her- Rue, or would that be Roo?

She arrived along with the sweet fawn female- racing name "Nitro Gabbie" now called Lola.

They seemed very attached to one another.

All your warm wishes and prayers worked! You can just see the pink stitches on her nose where she had her "growth" removed. (I believe they said it was from an infected hair follicle?) They did a wonderful job stitching her up- no one can tell it was from an incision (small problem there- EVERYONE we meet keeps trying to be helpful and brush (or pick) the "lint" off her nose- I am getting a bit jumpy about it :(
Sunday brought about Beautiful weather and the Fredericksburg dog festival. The festivities started with all the dogs being blessed. Yes, Rumor got blessed too, but our photographer fell down on the job when it came to getting her picture :(

Then came the dog parade through downtown Fredericksburg. as you can see VAGA was well represented- the greyhounds were out in force!

Next came the costume contests. Here is Will and Hero in the under 5 category.
Of course he and Hero did not walk around the ring alone... no I am not hiding my face on purpose- just good timing! I may not be as lucky when it comes to the local paper- the reporter stopped us to get our names, as part of an article- I doubt I'll ever see it though, since we do not live in Fredericksburg.

Will wins a ribbon.

Next Mark entered the 9-12 age group. Hero graciously lent Rumor his costume (but notice that someone forgot to tighten the girth, Rumor is quite a bit smaller than our big Hero)- Thus the rodeo rider became a trick rider.

I hope all my readers enjoyed as lovely a weekend!

Give me an "F"

2009-09-30T16:59:00.004-04:00

I think the letter for this coming weekend is "F".
No, not as in Fail. (I hope)
F as in Foster- There is a good chance we will be getting a new foster dog Saturday. YAY!
F as in Football (Mark's Pee Wee football team has a game Saturday morning)
F as in Fall
AND
F as in Fredericksburg and Festival-
Fredericksburg is holding their annual Dog Festival Sunday, and we hope very much to be able to attend.
One of the potential fosters for our group (VAGA) is this adorable Fawn brindle named Gossip Hound. But Miss Gossip was found to have a bump on her nose which needed to be removed and biopsied before she is allowed to take the trip north.
Please join me in sending healing thoughts her way, with hopes that she will join her Fellow hounds on their Foray (ok- so, that one was stretch :).
I do hope "Fine" and "Fixed" and "Fortunate" will be added to our list of F words.

PS- Lisa did you get my email?
If you e-mail me the address where you would like me to send Connor's portrait, I'll be glad to drop it in the mail.

Open to Interpretation

2009-09-23T13:34:00.016-04:00

First, I want to share with you a verification word that I had to type, in order to leave a comment on one of the other "hound" blogs that I follow.

Trust me, you do not type "peeless" without noting it.
While I guess technically it is a adjective, those of you who know Hero will understand why it struck me more as a command, request, or helpful suggestion- pee less!

More random thoughts-
I believe the fact that Vincent Van Gogh was an artistic genius is pretty much undisputed.
And while I do NOT count myself among the well educated on the subject of art and art history, I still do appreciate the raw emotion and power contained in his paintings.
This being said,
Am I wrong in wondering if this young lady (and her parents) considered this portrait flattering?

Why do I ask?
Well, I mentioned that Lisa sent me the following lovely photographs of her greyhound Connor:

(well, here is my interpretation)- Alaina called it "scary".
While evoking emotion is what every artist hopes for, fear was definitely NOT what I was going for.

Perhaps you will prefer this one

Lisa, let me know if you actually would like to have one of these pictures.

~
It also happens to be our friend Theresa's birthday tomorrow, so I thought I would draw her dog, Isis, as one of her gifts.

Alaina tried SOOO hard to get a good photograph of Isis but she appears to be REALLY camera shy-

Anyway- here's what I came up with.

Two Wrongs do NOT make a Right

2009-09-16T11:19:00.010-04:00

Two wrongs do Not make a right, but three lefts certainly do...
I am infamous around these parts for my terrible sense of direction. I take my fair share of ribbing for being completely at the mercy of my Garmin whenever I travel more than 15 miles from home. That's ok, because this is one of those rare subjects where I engage in absolutely no denial or self-deception. Yes ladies, I am the reason our fair sex has the reputation it does when it comes to directions- but at least I have no trouble asking for directions (or help), (even from a GPS that will randomly shout "recalculating" or "make a u-turn", regardless of the fact that I have been following it's directions exactly. But yes, I do draw the line at "turning right" when I am in the middle of a bridge.)
Well, this sheep mentality almost got me in trouble last night.
You are all familiar with that little gadget on the right side of my blog that identifies me as a member of "Mutts of Manassas". We are simply a group of local dog owners who try to think up interesting/ scenic walks to do together. It encourages us to do more than the customary, boring , walk around the block- alone with our dogs. And gives both owners and dogs the opportunity to socialize.
We have been doing a "group" walk at James S. Long Park in Haymarket, VA for months now. Our regular route has always been to simply circle the park around all the ball fields, (see all those green rectangles above) about 1 1/2 mile or so I believe. Of course with the start of school, all those fields have been crawling with kids belonging to assorted sports teams (especially at 6:45 PM- our usual walk time).
I am not exactly sure how to make this long story short (and it is a LONG story) -but after passing the first path that leads into the woods, and coming upon the second- we decided to veer off our normal "perimeter" path and walk a bit in the woods away from the crowds. We planned to simply turn left and return via the first path we had passed. (Seemed logical enough). But 45 minutes later, (as it was getting dark), it was rather apparent that those of our group who claimed to have a "good" sense of direction where not helping our situation. Poor Alaina ,who had seen markers for the local cross country team (and HAD suggested we follow them at the time), wanted to retrace our steps to try to find and follow the markers. But luckily right about this time we saw a pond, and then the backs of some houses.
Well my Momma didn't raise no fool-it was seriously getting dark at this point - I was determined to go towards the light (streetlight/ porch lights, that is) and no one was getting me back into those woods. After cutting through the yards of a couple multi-million dollar homes we had found an unfamiliar gravel road, and were still totally lost. Thus, it was time to knock on a random door and ask for directions. We were told we were on Lightner Road, approximately 3 miles from the park (and still going in the opposite direction from that first path we were trying to reach by the way).

This lovely gentleman (upon whose door we knocked) offered to pile all of us (dogs included) into the back of his truck and bring us back to the park. Normally I would be STRONGLY against taking a ride from a stranger, but in this case it was preferable to wandering around in the dark.
From now on I will be sticking to my neighborhood, the park "perimeter", and places where I can use my Garmin.

Happy Tuesday

2009-09-15T15:09:00.005-04:00

A short post today.
Just something, so that the ol' blog doesn't continue to wish you "Happy Labor Day" into October :)
We attended VAGA's Warrenton Meet and Greet this past Sunday. I forgot my camera, but you can read all about it over at Treasure What You Have.
We were thrilled to get the chance to meet Puddin' Pop; and yes, she is everything that Angela says she is !- (why, I might go as far as to say that she is AS charming as Hero- well, as long as Hero was out of ear shot that is :)
The kids also had their first Sunday School class of the year. I am guessing that the religious education director is not a football fan because Sunday school is scheduled for 4:00- 5:30 (on Sundays?!), thank goodness for DVR.
Finally, a shout out to Lisa, my first victim...err, volunteer, to send me photos of her gorgeous hunk of a hound, Connor to paint. I love that he is confident enough in his masculinity to be cuddled up with a pink blanket :)
Stay tuned to see what I have come up with...

Hope you're Having a Greyt Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T08:30:00.011-04:00

I know, I know-
Two weeks without a post- shameful
Not posting on Hero's 4th birthday/1 year gotcha day anniversary- unforgivable!
But not to worry his special days did not go uncelebrated.
He got a trip to the park, a stop at PetCo for a new bone (no, no cake- but please refrain from hate mail/ flaming me :) My furless children consider themselves lucky to get a cake.
1st the good news-
The following weekend we went to Keepstone Farm's Dog Days celebration.
Hero PASSED his TDI (Therapy Dog International) testing.
Now we just await the processing of the paperwork (so more on this later).
There were also games-
This highly unflattering picture, shows Alaina (with borrowed dog- Sky) Hero and I doing the egg race.

Yes, we won- prizes all around: a floppy Frisbee and bandanna for Sky, a yogurt bone and bandanna for Hero

Now the less good news:
Our trip to the vet found that Hero's latest bout with diarrhea has left him slightly dehydrated (they thought it bad enough to require some IV fluids). His blood work was normal (except for the levels effected by the dehydration), he is totally negative for parasites (including the lyme's titer), but a week on rice/bland diet and even liquid Pepto-Bismol has done nothing to help.
He is now back on Metronidazole (fingers crossed- but we are not out of the woods yet). Our vet felt it serious enough to forgo the Canine flu shot which I was really hoping to get Hero, since there have been several cases reported in Fairfax, Virginia. Three cases have been confirmed at our vet's practice alone. But I really do appreciate her being cautious, (she felt that since it is a relatively new vaccine that we could not be sure if it would put an additional strain on his system).
All this while the kids are returning to school. 3 back to school/ meet the teacher nights at 3 different schools, plus Genevieve's Band instrument rental night (she was assigned the trombone :)- more on this later too, I'm sure.
and... Mark's little league football with practice 3 nights a week (we were told that it would be 2 nights a week once the school year started, but after 2 crushing defeats the coaches decided they need the extra night).
Lastly
For my friends at Genji's Corner.
Perhaps you recognize these hounds, (perhaps you don't)
Since it is not an accurate representation of how sweet Stella and Stanley looked in your photo, and I had to change the background color (after a failed attempt at a pinkish beige), but let me know if you want it anyway.

And to all the rest of my dear readers if you have a greyt (close up) picture that you would like me to attempt- pass it along to my e-mail.

I "DREW" a Surprise

2009-08-22T16:55:00.005-04:00

I saw the photograph this picture is based on over at Nuttin But Hound Dogs ,
I loved the color and composition so much, I had to try to "paint" it with my oil pastels.
Poolie- I'd be glad to mail it to you, if you e-mail me your address.

Peaches and Acrylics

2009-08-19T09:47:00.008-04:00

This past weekend was our local peach festival. There were lots of friends to meet:

And fun activities for the kids:

~
Doesn't Hero look noble as King of the Hill ?

~

Cue the "Julie Andrews" music- lol

Unfortunately, it was HOT! The bouncing"pillow" was roughly the same temperature as the surface of the sun.

But panning for fools gold gave the kids an excuse to get wet.

And yes, we did pick half a bushel of delicious white peaches-
but this is the only picture I have with peaches in it

Because while we were busy "picking" guess who had the camera

On to "acrylics"...
I did this rough sketch
Alaina asked if she could paint it. So, of course I let her- and I think it came out pretty well.

New Hobby

2009-08-15T16:12:00.003-04:00

Alaina attended an art camp this summer, and returned home with a pack of oil pastels and much inspiration.
Enthusiasm is contagious, so soon I was giving them a try as well.
Below are my attempts, the first based on an Edwin Cooper painting, the second based on a John Paul painting. (The mats are from Walmart ;-)

Happy Trails Zoey

2009-07-30T12:46:00.008-04:00

Gyeong of Genji's Corner came to pick up Zoey this afternoon. She will spend the night at the Park's Place, and then continue on to her new forever home tomorrow.
Already the place feels emptier, strange statement to make about a house that holds 7 people (including a 3 year old) and 2 dogs, but true none the less.
We are sorry to see Zoey go, and sorry that she will miss going to the dog park tonight. I'm sure all her new admirers will miss seeing her too.

You have to love this little guy. He figured out how to get on eye-level with the bigger dogs.

Point the fan over here - Please...

2009-07-27T10:02:00.006-04:00

(Hubby's blog)
Point the fan over here - Please...

Yeah- what he said.
Except that "he" isn't actually home today. It's the kids and I who are waiting for the repairman (who will definitely be here sometime between AM and PM).
I need a quick fix (of my air conditioning, I mean) (oh, and cheap too please ;)...

Shared via AddThis

update: A $300 band-aid later and the AC is up and running. But I am afraid a major heating/cooling system upgrade is still in our near future. At least for the time being the hounds are once again resting in an air conditioned abode.

Ninja Zoey

2009-07-22T12:06:00.010-04:00

When we first adopted Hero, he was about as graceful on the linoleum and hardwood floors as an elephant on ice skates. We lost several dishes and knick-knacks from his crashing into tables and the baker's rack in the kitchen. It seems Zoey's new owner's will not have to worry about that as she navigates through the house very easily (and very quietly).
But there in lies a story....

"New" dogs at our house are usually kept in the family room. This is where their crates and beds are, where their toys are, and where the door to the backyard is. It is completely visible from the kitchen (where I spend a LOT of my day ;-) due to a half wall, but is blocked off by a baby gate. (Which also keeps them away from the front door).
They are allowed to explore/investigate the rest of the house- but only with a chaperon in tow.

Unfortunately, Alaina who is my second pair of eyes, ears, and hands, is at art camp this week.
And my other children are a little less diligent at closing the baby gate.
While I was outside watering the garden and cleaning up after the dogs, somebody inadvertently left the baby gate unlocked. No- don't worry she didn't get out of the house. But since she greeted me as I came back in....a quick investigation of the house to see what she had gotten into, was in order

This is what I found in the living room.
The Ziplock bag is the Amish friendship bread starter, a friend gave me 4 days ago. Thank goodness in only had 2 little puncture holes in it, so I am pretty confident that she didn't ingest much (if any) of it (the outside of the bag was pretty much clean and dry).The other item is the baby proofing latch for my kitchen cabinet. This was VERY slobbery/ chewed on- lol.
Obviously after being touched by several childrens' sticky fingers, it smelled more interesting than the bread starter.

I am sorry that I missed such a good opportunity to work on counter surfing with her. I suspect I will get another opportunity :-)

Zoey discovers Toys

2009-07-21T13:42:00.005-04:00

We received an e-mail letting us know that Kaycee's new name (at her new home with her new family) will be Zoey. We think it's a greyt choice and really suits her.
Thus this is Zoey discovering some of our dog toys.

A weekend for gifts....

2009-07-19T12:57:00.007-04:00

What a greyt weekend!
It started with our anniversary celebration (I promise I will write a post about my "nickle" gift soon), next came a gift in the mail from Dog-Gone Fashions. I had sent an e-mail to Gail Blasius of Dog-Gone fashions around July 4th, and she decided to send us a visor and scarf for Hero. How sweet is that?

Pepsi is jealous of how stylin' Hero looks.

Next we received the award from Bark about It. And then today we picked up our new foster :
Meet Kaycee

Kaycee is a guaranteed no-fail foster. There is already a family planning to adopt her. But they are on vacation until August, so we get the pleasure of her company until then :-)

We Got An Award

2009-07-18T21:52:00.005-04:00

We were given this lovely award from Stephanie (and Lady, Sophia, and Einstein) at Bark About It. (Thanks Y'all)
Hero and I are thrilled (especially since this is our first time receiving an award ;-)

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name seven things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate seven Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

OK, so 7 things people might find interesting:

1) Hero does not really play with toys; and he actually dislikes balls of ALL types. But there is one stuffed polar bear, (which was actually William's toy first), that he will take out of the toy basket and chew on once in a while. (Of course you in anyway try to encourage him or even speak to him as he is chewing on it he will drop it and no amount of encouraging will get him to touch it again).

2) Hero still does not like going up and down our main staircase (even though we have had him a year). It doesn't really matter because our dogs sleep on the main level anyway. Though he DOES have to go up and down the stairs anytime he needs a bath ;-)

3) Hero's racing name was "Star All Star"

4) Stowe and Maria at halfwayhomehounds.blogspot.com fostered Hero for 2 or 3 hours before we came to adopt him.

5) How about one about Doug and I ??- Doug proposed (ring and all) after we had been dating only 3 months. But we had a 3 year engagement, before we actually got married.

6) I enjoy doing any and all arts/crafts; including but not limited to: painting, drawing, sculpting, interior decorating (eg. decorative painting and stenciling), decoupage, making floral arrangements and topiaries, scrapbooking, and photography (just to name a few- lol), but the only sewing I do is mending and making dog collars :-)

7) And lastly how about something even I didn't know until tonight....
We have tried to give Hero "Frosty Paws" and "Pup cups" at least half a dozen times in the past and he NEVER would take them. But tonight we all walked down to Nathan's for ice cream and Hero stole some of mine (plain vanilla) and he LOVED it.

And now the envelope please...
The nominees for this prestigious award are:

Fumbled Returns
Halfway Home Hounds
Never Say Never Greyhounds
Learning About Life With Greys
Halfway to Crazy
Genji's Corner
Beau and Belle

21 years- and still going strong!

2009-07-16T10:24:00.007-04:00

Today marks Doug and my 21st Wedding Anniversary.

The actual "celebration" will be tomorrow when we go to Charlestown,WV for dinner, drinks, and to bet on the ponies. :-)

But of course when you are married to your best friend, every day is a celebration-

ok, enough mushy stuff --lol.
So this started me thinking,

While most people are familiar with the 25th wedding anniversary being "silver" and the 50th being "gold",
I have to admit that I really didn't know the "traditional" gift for 21 years.
Thus I turned to my good friend Wikipedia.

Year/ Traditional Gift
1st Paper (money is always good)
2nd Cotton
3rd Leather (no comment)
4th Linen
5th Wood
6th Iron
7th Wool
8th Bronze
9th Pottery
10th Tin/ Aluminum
11th Steel
12th Silk
13th Lace
14th Ivory
15th Crystal
16th Obsidian (???- I think they made this one up)
17th furniture
18th Coloured Gems/ porcelain (I guess this "coloured gems" anniversary excludes Amethyst, Rubies,Sapphires,and Emeralds which are covered by 19, 40, 45, and 55)
19th Amethyst
20th China
21st Brass, Nickel
Dear Doug- neither brass knuckles nor "a" nickle would be advisable.
22nd Copper
23rd Silver plate (a base metal plated with silver or 1 silver plate?)
24th Musical Instruments
25th Silver
30th Pearl
35th Coral, Jade
40th Ruby
45th Sapphire
50th Gold
55th Emerald
60th Diamond
65th Platinum
70th Titanium in case you are searching for titanium gifts:
http://www.titanium-jewelry.com/
80th Oak -

is it just me or is this a step back from Platinum and Titanium?
But I am looking forward to my "oak" anniversary just the same.

PS. Doug- I wanted to comment on your blog but my computer would not let me-

VAGA Warrenton Meet and Greet

2009-07-12T17:22:00.021-04:00

Lets hear it for Genevieve, my 11 year old daughter, who played photographer for the meet and greet this weekend.

I think she got some really good shots- especially considering that she only had my little Cannon "point and shoot" to work with.

We started outside, and the weather really was pretty nice (especially considering that this IS July)

BUT

You can see what Harper thinks about July in the DC area.

So we moved inside the PetCo, just to make sure the hounds did not get over heated.

Didn't everyone look greyt?

Harper was especially glad to move indoors , so that she could admire the parakeets for sale.

Wading through a sea of greyhounds.

Hero relaxing after a job well done.

Thursdays at the Battlefield

2009-07-10T07:18:00.021-04:00

Every Thursday, our group "Mutts of Manassas" , get together for a 3 mile walk on the trails of Bull Run Park (also known as the Battlefield- due to the Battle of Bull Run).

During the summer months, we start our walk at 7:00 pm. Lately this has been ideal, as it is not too hot or crowded.

Would you like to come along?

Of course the walks begin with the required greetings and introductions.

Meet Emma and Simon.

Hero and Gizer (that is Gizer with a soft G as in Engergizer)

Sky and Sirius

Isis

Duke and Tessa

We finish up, just as the sun goes down.

Thanks for joining us.

Random pictures

2009-07-06T12:47:00.006-04:00

Random pictures of Alaina. She doesn't bother downloading them herself; she waits for me to clear all the pictures off the camera, then either copies them off my blog, or asks me to e-mail them to her. I chose option #1. lol

Guess who else decided to get in on the act...

What do you see?

2009-07-06T11:07:00.000-04:00

Best friends cuddling?

~ or ~

Pepsi pinning Hero's head down?

(she is definitely the alpha)

Happy Birthday America !

2009-07-04T07:39:00.004-04:00

Just spreading the word

2009-07-01T07:35:00.001-04:00

I'm sure most of you have researched pet-safe plants vs. toxic plants. But this was posted on a veterinary clinics website and I thought it worthy of being passed along.

Poisoning ALERT!!!!"Sago Palm" or "Cycad"Poisoning Alert- It has come to our attention that many home improvement stores are selling a houseplant that can cause serious poisoning in pets and children. The plant is called the “Sago Palm” or “Cycad”. It is also referred to as “The Oldest Known Plant”. It is used in outdoor landscaping in Southern States, but can only survive as a houseplant in the North. All of this plant, including the seeds and root ball are toxic. Signs of illness first appear about 12 hours after ingestion and include gastrointestinal sign such as vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. The toxins in the plant lead to severe liver failure with progressive weakness, jaundice, bruising and bleeding and other signs of liver failure that lead to death. It is estimated that 75-80% of animals ingesting this plant will die in spite of aggressive medical treatment. If you have one of these plants in your home you will want to be sure to keep it away from pets and children, preferably by disposing of it safely in a covered trash can or “rehome” it with someone who does not have pets or young children in the household

It's Official

2009-06-28T17:26:00.004-04:00

Hero is a good citizen.

We have long known that Hero is a good ambassadog for retired greyhounds.

Now he has the official paperwork- he passed his Canine Good Citizen Test. See all the checks in the passed column ;-)
And yes, he did all the "sits".
This was his down/ stay. Hey, don't laugh, it did the job , he didn't move a muscle for the whole "stay".

Next challenge- Therapy dog training/ testing.

Lake Accotink

2009-06-27T22:08:00.005-04:00

Lake Accotink- Fairfax Virginia

The guys got to play in the sand

and visit with the locals

Once a month they have a "dog day" pontoon boat ride for the hounds It was lots of fun
and the scenery was lovely

But an hour is a long time

So Hero ended up in the typical Greyhound position

Hint, Hint

2009-06-24T13:59:00.003-04:00

It's a good news/ bad news kind of thing.

The good news is: This Saturday 5 more greyhounds are leaving the racetrack/ kennel in Florida, and coming to Virginia, to start the rest of their lives in their forever homes. (please keep them in your thoughts and prayers)

The bad news is that it is summer, and it is HOT. -But you knew that already.

Unfortunately, that means that VAGA can not use the regular dog hauler (it gets TOO hot), and thus only a VERY limited number of greyhounds can be transported via personal cars. This limited number does not include a foster for us.

We continue to troll the http://www.greyhoundpetsorlando.org/availablegreys.html

wondering which one might be our next guest....

We are hoping for a hugger.

You can't beat a greyhound hug ;-)

Ordinary Time

2009-06-22T09:34:00.003-04:00

As those of you who have been raised Catholic already know- we are in ordinary time. Yup, that is exactly what the Roman Catholic Church calls it- "Ordinary Time". In other words- not Lent, Advent, Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, etc, etc., & so forth.
Just ordinary time.
And am I GLAD to be in Ordinary Time!
In the past 4 weeks we have had a 3 years old's birthday, a 9 year old's birthday, an elementary school graduation, and Father's Day, (all happy occasions to be sure). But that is a lot of party planning!

My kids summer vacation FINALLY officially starts this week.

There is a relatively new series on the Disney Channel entitled "Phineas and Ferb". It is about the summer antics/activities of two brothers, their older sister and their platypus (never mind). My point is-
Their theme song starts with:
There are 104 days of summer vacation
then school comes along just to end it
but the annual problem for our generation
is finding a good way to spend it
104????
Boy, are these people out of touch!
54 is more like it.
Summer vacation no longer starts with Memorial Day Weekend and school starts back LONG before Labor Day.
I've got to recover from the end of the year rush, get everyone healthy, and get on to enjoying this summer vacation/ ordinary time, before it's time to start shopping for back to school.

Virus Alert

2009-06-19T17:53:00.009-04:00

No- not my computer- me. (and Genna, and Will, and now Doug too)

The symptoms do not include oinking or squealing

so, no- I don't really think it is H1-N1

But I do wish that our doctors weren't so tight fisted with the Tami-flu!

This one is just "scary" accurate

(I need to get me one of those brain back-up thingies)

Ok- warning this last one is way off topic- but it made me laugh

of course -maybe it was the cold meds....

Have a good weekend all

Around Town

2009-06-06T17:38:00.010-04:00

Last week a neighbor of ours came over to let me know that she had spotted a brown bear behind her house, and that I should keep the kids and the dogs inside (and "keep an eye out because it could come back"). I thanked her for her concern and for letting me know-
( side note- there has been an "official" Brown Bear sighting in Clifton, Virginia on June 9,2009 so it is possible )

but in the back of my mind I have to admit I wondered...

The SAME day (I am not joking) another neighbor's son who was over playing with Mark said that his mom had seen a coyote that afternoon-

Now Please understand that we live in a VERY suburban area

so again I wonder

That evening Doug said that as he was pulling into our neighborhood he saw a fox. or

No- Just kidding Doug,- I do believe your fox sighting, especially since we have photographed them in our backyard several times before. And of course our neighbor's "coyote" could have been a grey fox because when googling grey fox images I actually came up with THIS one labeled "Yosemite Park Grey fox"-

with the the length of those legs I'm thinking coyote too- what do you think?.

And yes, I know that there are real deer in our neighborhood too- but I could not resist, after all every dog post needs at least one greyhound pic....

What State should I live in Quiz

2009-06-05T08:31:00.009-04:00

To be honest with you I try not to give much credence to all the quizzes that are floating about the Internet. In fact, my husband just took one called "How long will your marriage last?" and it predicted 1 year, now that might seriously concern me if not for the fact that we will have been married 21 years next month :-)
So why bother taking this quiz?
Well, I have only lived in two states (New York and Virginia) my whole life, and it is not a very big secret that I have never felt that Virginia was a particularly good match for me.
So here is what the all knowing internet quiz claims:

You Should Live in North Carolina

If you don't want to live in North Carolina, you might also consider:

Georgia
Kansas
Kentucky
Missouri
Nebraska

http://blogthings.com/whatstateshouldyouliveinquiz/

Fun and Games

2009-06-04T11:04:00.007-04:00

This past weekend was Will's 3rd birthday.
The tradition in our household is that the birthday person gets to choose their birthday dinner- no holds barred.
Will's choice-No, not French Cuisine, not good old-fashioned American barbecue, not even our favorite Italian restaurant "Mama Mia's (cue Billy Joel's "Scene's from an Italian Restaurant"- I really love that song...)

Nope, Will's pick -Chuck E Cheese's.

Those of you who have furry, four legged, children may not have had the pleasure of dining at this establishment. Picture 100's of blaring video games, running/ screaming sugared up children, and cafeteria quality food (pizza, chicken wings, etc.).

Aren't you dying to go now?
Anyway- the kids LOOOVE it.
What's better than arming a three year old with a hammer and telling him to hit a video screen with it?

Arming him with a machine gun ?

Accident prone Alaina wins the prize- for kicking her flip flop sandal into the center of the soccer game cage.

They had to send maintenance to open it up and fetch Cinderella's slipper

I told you she won the prize- look at all those prize tickets...

Will sneeks a peak at his presents...

One of Will's gifts was a bubble gun-

The bubble's landed in the garden creating bubble plants

Happy Trails Maxine

2009-06-01T06:49:00.008-04:00

Yesterday Maxine travelled all the way down to Chester, Virginia to do the equivalent of Greyhound speed dating :-)

We brought her halfway home ;-)- (we met Michelle Ridlon of http://ridlontails.blogspot.com/ in Fredericksburg, who then escorted her the rest of the way).

Her potential match is an experienced greyhound owner (who will give her lots of time and attention) and his 8 year old blue greyhound named Kate. We know that Maxine will enjoy having a big sister to help show her the ropes.

We hope that the meeting went well- and that it was love at first sight for all involved!

We will miss Maxine a lot, she really is a special little girl.

Attention VAGA : we have an empty cage waiting for it's next occupant...

Update: Maxine has been adopted. As has already posted in the comments, They loved her (and how could they not) and it is now official.

Signed , sealed, delivered- she's home.

This is how we roll...

2009-05-24T21:41:00.027-04:00

Saturday was the Delaplane Virginia Strawberry Festival.
Hero says "I'm ready to go" (notice how he takes a seat?)

The hounds found MANY admirers. I think that VAGA can expect several more adoption applications coming in soon :-)

Strawberries anyone?

Sunday, we stopped by the Chantilly Petsmart (for a meet and greet??) We didn't see any other greyhounds (I don't know what happened), but the hounds still found new friends and admirers.

So off to Dog Scouts,

and lure coursing

Nope- not the lure ;-)

" Hey, why did it stop?"

I Love Zoe's idea of catching the lure.

Or maybe she was just flossing her teeth.

Glamour shots

2009-05-21T10:20:00.008-04:00

We have had Maxine for 5 days now.

Already we can see a difference.

She is starting to get a glow about her.

Seriously, this girl is going to be down-right radiant.

Pictures do not do her justice- and she knows it- lol

Pepsi says "enough about Maxine already"

"Talk about how gorgeous I am!"
(umm, doesn't Maxine look impressed?)

On other fronts...
We have started working with Maxine on mastering stairs.
The few stairs leading down from our deck are no problem
but...

We moved into this house when I was 8 months pregnant with my 4th child. I remember so clearly how climbing these stairs felt like climbing Mount Everest, so I can absolutely commiserate with Maxine. But I am sure she will be taking them by leaps and bounds in no time... (unlike me- lol).

Maxine is still looking for her forever home.

Please contact VAGA

(703) 288-4649

click to help

2009-05-19T15:43:00.005-04:00

See that new gadget on the right side of my page?

The sponsors have promised to donate .6 of a bowl of food to animals in shelters every time someone clicks it/ and then the bar at their site (completely free of charge for you).

You can also try to win our Greyhound Rescue groups some of the 60 weekly prizes (equalling $ 100,000),

By clicking the shelter challenge "vote now" button and entering Virgina Greyhound Adoption (VA in state area) or
Greyhound Rescue Inc. (WV)
in the information field.
Of course, All rescues affiliated with Petfinders are eligible.

Maxine says:

"Thanks for helping".

More fun with Hero and Maxine

2009-05-17T17:56:00.004-04:00

Today we took Maxine to our local park.

Hero was only too glad to show her the ropes.Doesn't she look lovely all decked out in her "adopt me" jacket?

This young lady walks very nicely on a leash.

We think she will do fine with a family with children. She greeted them very gently (but was curious, and not afraid).

Then she saw something moving in the grass.

When this SWEET little (Cairn?) terrier came over to say hi...

Maxine was a little afraid (and backed away).

But then Hero told her it was OK- these dogs are very friendly.

So she came over to say hello (such a brave little girl ;-)

We would say she is DEFINITELY small dog safe...

Introducing Ms. Maxine

2009-05-16T13:05:00.007-04:00

We have a house guest visiting us, at least for the next couple of days.
Her name is Maxine, Mulberry Maxine to be exact.
She has just moved to the area from Orlando, Florida.
At 59 pounds, she is a petite little girl, even for a three year old. She is an easy going young lady with lovely manners; she happily visited with all our kids (those with fur and those without.)

Hero, ever the gentleman says "ladies first".

Gotta love those ears.

If you are interested in bringing Ms. Maxine home with you, please contact VAGA

(703) 288-4649

Duh Mom

2009-05-13T09:32:00.003-04:00

I asked William what he wants for snack.
William "juice"
Me: "Ok,... but do you want crackers, grapes, or yogurt for your snack?
William: "I want juice"
Me: "yes, I know, but what do you want WITH your juice"
William "a cup"

The Hero Weather forecasting system

2009-05-08T12:28:00.002-04:00

May 5, 09- another rainy day

May 8, 09- we finally see the sun!

(or at least I think that is what that bright light is- after so long I can hardly remember) :)

A Garden Variety Mob Hit

2009-04-29T09:45:00.004-04:00

I was going to entitle this post "Always Wear Protection",
but then thought better of it...not that I think that any of my genteel followers would have misconstrued such a title ;-)
No, What I mean to say is- While most of you are familiar with the notorious Mr. Stick and the injury that he caused Sola over at Life with Dogs. You may have, like me, thought that this was just one bad branch broken off of a basically good family tree.
But now I have my doubts.......
I was gardening this past weekend when a bunch of rouge Irises (I knew I should have dealt with those dead-heads last fall) attacked me leaving me with several nasty splinters.
I got most of them out with ease - but there is one that seems to continue to evade me (and is even starting to look a bit infected :-(

I just wanted to send out the warning- whenever you are in the great outdoors, be ever vigilant, and have protection on hand!

2009-04-28T14:36:00.006-04:00

Top Ten

2009-04-27T08:34:00.012-04:00

Top Ten reasons I wish my life were more like a 1970's T.V. show:

10) Good help would NOT be hard to find,

and we would be able to afford a maid, as well as feed 6 kids, on 1 income

~

(9) Our dog would be more like this
And less like this (nothing personal Hero)

~

(8) A twitch of the nose would solve all problems-(not just be a sign that the pollen level is REALLY high)

(7) The neighbors would not only NOT be judgemental- but would make us look amazingly intelligent and sophisticated.

(6) I could say things like "Sock it to me" and "groovy" on a regular basis

~

(5) There would be writers to make sure that I always had a witty comeback/ answer-

and who could make even "dead wood" look clever (right Mr. Stick?)

~

(4) I could make loads of money off my kid's talent

(3) The good guys would always win

(2) We would have our very own COOL theme song

AND

(#1) My van would have a better paint job (lol)

Here's your sign....

2009-04-22T09:31:00.001-04:00

Tired Dogs...

2009-04-20T06:57:00.010-04:00

Yes, Hero is tired- but I mean MY DOGS are tired. Saturday we did an "urban hike" with our pals at Mutts of Manassas.

A simple 1 1/2 mile walk from Point A to Point B - Point B being Nathans' Dairy Barn (for ice cream/ pup cups)

Hero's new friends : Emma and FergusFergus is the shy one :-)And Theresa and Isis Isis says "thanks" for the ice cream.

That was the warm-up for the main event-

Sunday's Fauquier County Habitat for Humanity Dog walk

As well as walking Hero- we had the pleasure of Wyatt's company.Wyatt is a 14 month old lab/hound ? mix. This is the best picture I have of him because he was ALWAYS moving :-)

He is available for adoption through the Fauquier County S.P.C.A.Boy, does this little fellow LOVE life.

After walking BOTH the long and short trails we tried out the agility pen.

But mostly Hero just wanted to patrol/ mark the perimeter.

After all, You never know who's out there watching :-)

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2009-04-17T13:10:00.009-04:00

One of the gifts I received for my birthday back in March, was a set of seeds and planters given to me by one of my oldest and dearest friends - Debbie. (Not to say that SHE is one of my "OLDEST" friends- just that she has been my friend for a VERY long time... I guess it would be more politically correct just to say BFF :-)
( can members of the 40+ crowd use BFF without looking silly?)
Anyway, I have always been more of a flower garden person than the vegetable garden type. We do have 2 blueberry bushes, some strawberry plants, and we usually buy a few cherry tomato plants in the spring- but that has been the extent of my ventures into edible gardening.
Debbie saw fit to rectify this fact, being aware of
-what the food bill is for a family of 7,
-that there have been several recalls of contaminated produce,
-the fact that everything tastes better fresh from the garden, and
-that often children will eat better if they have picked the food themselves.
Anyway, Will and I started some of the seeds indoors a few weeks ago.
My first attempts- cherry tomatoes, lettuce and sweet bell peppers.
Notice anything?? I have some hope for the cherry tomatoes and the peppers, but the lettuce?

I separated out some of the lettuce seedlings- I put them outside on warm , sunny days to harden them). They are in good potting soil (with miracle grow). But so far I am less than optimistic that we will be harvesting any lettuce. Any ideas? Next, I will try some sugar snap peas and some zucchini. And when we are finally past the risk of frost (we had frost AGAIN this morning :-( I guess I will try to direct sow some of the lettuce seeds I have left.

Or perhaps I should stick to flowers

Walking the Walk

2009-04-16T10:22:00.003-04:00

This coming Sunday Alaina, Hero, and I will be participating in the 2009 Habitat for Humanity Dog Walk (as part of our our local spca group). Along with the actual walk-a-thon there will be a grooming station, a bake sale, and a "paw print" station.

They will also be having a Pet star Contest, but I don't think Hero's impression of "a sleeping dog"- as impressive as it is- is quite what they are looking for.

If you are interested in helping support this worthy cause please go to http://www.fauquierhabitat.org/ (please be sure that you include DOG WALK in the memo.)

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-11T21:12:00.004-04:00

Sending wishes for a most egg-cellent Easter to one and all!

Please note the blue hound egg that Alaina designed.

Genevieve hard at work - the white designs were etched with a dremel type tool.

And

As promised - the Easter candles we decorated.

Left to right- Will's egg ( the pattern was his- I just controlled the flow of the liquid candle paint/wax),- Genevieve's egg, (back- water lily)- My egg (front- paw print egg) ,- Alaina's "hound" egg- (right) Mark's egg (I believe it is a volcano)

Strange Bedfellows

2009-04-10T21:13:00.001-04:00

Yes, yes, this is a re-run (and it's not even Summer yet ;-) But I wanted to play fair for those
gathering sticks.......

Those of you with more than one hound are probably used to seeing scenes such as these:

Pepsi still swears that they are NOT friends ;-)

But last month Hero decided that Will was also part of his pack, thus fair game for the customary "dog pile" napping position. Will obviously does not mind.

But as they say: "turnabout is fair play".

Speaking of strange bedfellows:

Virginia 2007

************************************

Ok, I can tell I have probably lost some of you.

Well, it all started with our friends over at Life with Dogs

http://lifewithdogs.blogspot.com/2009/03/best-served-cold.html

And like all great ideas, it took on a life of it's own:

http://misterstick.blogspot.com/

My theory- wherever dogs are being harmed Mr. Stick has probably had a hand in it-(well ok, he doesn't actually have hands), but he has been involved in some way.

And that includes the Michael Vick dog fighting ring.

So keep an eye out for Mr. Stick where ever he may be lurking.

The BIG 100

2009-04-09T10:23:00.017-04:00

Today marks the big 100- no, not my age- we all know that is 14517. Nope, this is my 100th post! So, in celebration I am having an open house. Well, a cyber open house anyway. I have mentioned that I LOVE to decorate (if only I could find a way to make money off of it...sigh). And my love of all things "decor related" lead me to learn about Feng Shui. It never ceases to amaze me that in the 21st century so many Americans have at least heard of this ancient Chinese form of creating balance in your living spaces. (in my poll only 1 person voted for "winner of season 3 Top Chef" (lol) and No one picked "huh ?"!)

No, you will not find ANY Buddhas, wind flutes, or multi -colored ribbons hanging on my walls.

In my world, Feng Shui is not superstitious or religious. It is simply a starting point for choosing from among the 100s of colors and themes that we are all faced with when we go to redecorate.

Western science Agrees that colors have frequency/ wavelengths, and sounds have frequencies/ vibrations (thus energy), and even that these energies affect our human psyche. (that's pretty much the basis of Feng Shui).

So to see it in action here are some before and afters:

Entrance before

Entrance after

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Before (you can see a little into the dining room)

Dining room after

Master bath before

master bath after

Kids' bath before (complete with kids-lol- Alaina and Genevieve 9 years ago!!)

Kids' bathroom after

Boys' bedroom before

boys' room after

Then these do not have before pictures (sorry)

Laundry room (not great- but what laundry room is- the brick wall is actually wallpaper)

Master bedroom - after

I DO wish I could find a before for this bedroom, it was painted a green-gold color

Living room after

Basement playroom

Main level 1/2 bath
When we bought the house this SMALL bathroom was wallpapered with blood red striped wallpaper.
(think "Red Room" -as in Amityville Horror)
I was 8 months pregnant at the time, so instead of stripping the wallpaper, I simply primed it, and then sponge painted over it. The window is a piece of wallpaper. The vines and butterflies are Tatouage wall art (rub-on stencils).

Basement bath (wallpaper mural- that was clearance - I bought 2 sets to do the whole bathroom then tiled up to the wallpaper ( the tile and grout are the same color as the floor only smaller squares)-I don't know if you can see it in this picture but the ceiling is the same blue as the top of the mural.)

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour. But what kind of hostess would I be if I did not at least put out a table of snacks.....

Go ahead laugh....

2009-04-08T15:33:00.003-04:00

I am sitting here; blog surfing, wasting time, not being particularly productive... But you know what? I deserve it!
This week is spring break for my under 18 crew. That means I have 4 kids home (while ALL their friends got to go away on vacation... or at least that is what they keep telling me.) We have already painted Easter egg candles (pics. at a later date), played several video game tournaments, and taken the dogs on a bunch of CHILLY walks. So today a trip to the library was put on the agenda. It started out uneventful enough- the three who can read, scattered about the library picking out books, as I chased Will up and down the children's section's aisles.
Unfortunately, after Alaina had checked out her selections, I asked her to follow Will so I could pick out a couple of books for myself ( yes I am deluded enough to think I might have time to read them). Unfortunately, there is a side door in the children's section with SEVERAL , LARGE, RED signs indicating that it is an "EMERGENCY Exit Only- Do Not Open". Well , as I mentioned Will can not read - so he ran to said door and shoved all 35 pounds of his weight on the bar which opens the door,and... next thing I know the alarms started blaring. ( NO , I did NOT get pictures/ a video for the blog...) Yes, they got the alarms off before the authorities arrived, yes, we beat a hasty retreat. So- go ahead laugh...
OK- That's enough.

Genevieve's Birthday goes to the dogs

2009-04-07T08:27:00.012-04:00

Being that we celebrated Genevieve's birthday on Saturday, Sunday after church, we stopped by the Warrenton PetCo to visit with our greyhound pals (VAGA was having their Meet and Greet). - keeping true to the VAGA tradition, the weather was BEAUTIFUL

- We got to see our buddies -Buford and Macy This foreign beauty is Ginger (the imported Spanish Galgo)

(Isn't she exotic?)

And these lovely girls are : Harper (fawn) and Venus (black)
(They are All American beauties)

Genevieve getting a double decker birthday greyhound hug.

Hero was a superstar with the little ones (as usual)

Party Animals

2009-04-06T08:32:00.007-04:00

Saturday was Genevieve's birthday party (her actual birthday was Sunday). She chose to go ice skating. It was only her second time skating, but she is quite enamored of it (perhaps we have another Dorothy Hamill in the makings- better that, than another Tanya Harding!)

I will spare you the dozens of pictures of the girls skating:

and making silly faces:

and skip right to the pictures with Hero being admired:

Genevieve got this t-shirt as a gift from one of her friends- Hero obviously agrees with her taste!

Then, Hero had enough partying, he's not exactly a party animal.

Will- on the other hand...

no that is not an allergic reaction/ swelling

those are balloons

(I agree)

They Put the Fun in Funky

2009-04-04T20:48:00.003-04:00

Thanks to YKNGLD at Nuttin But Hounds for sharing the BeFunky.com website. Now we can all have personalized pop art!

Self Preservation

2009-04-03T08:43:00.009-04:00

Anyone want to hear a story?

Ok- so once upon a time there was a young girl- let's call her...Genna. And this young girl (who happened to be about 5 at the time), had an older sister, let's call her, oh, I don't know- Alaina. Now Alaina was attending a nature camp one summer, (the sort of camp where they go down to the creek to catch tadpoles, small fish, bugs, etc.- *supposedly to study and then release them without harming them*). Well one day at pick up, Genna saw a bunch of paper cups lined up on a picnic table. She realized that she was feeling pretty thirsty being that it was a hot summer day, so she picked one up and promptly took a swig (obviously thinking that this was the refreshment table). Yup, you guessed it- this was not the refreshment table but the sample table, And she promptly spit out a small "sunny" -one that never made it to release. (We will never know if it was dead Before it got in her mouth/ on the ground.)

Ok, so what put this story in my mind?

Well , late last night I was busy decorating 2 dozen cupcakes for Genevieve's class. Yes, the green icing is the ready made- in the tube- type. I am a VERY SEMI-homemade type mom.

Those of you are familiar with this product know 2 things;

1) do NOT start the tube directly on a cupcake unless you are looking for an excuse to eat the "oops".

2) If you are decorating your cupcakes by covering the whole top with the tiny star/ flowers shapes each tube only decorates 5 cupcakes.

The first fact meant that I had a plate covered with the runny- "first try- squirts" from about 5 tubes. The second means that I used 5 tubes :-(

Genevieve found this plate still sitting in the sink this morning and promptly went to eat some.

YUK- (I refrained from taking a picture of said disgusting plate though- I did seriously consider it at the time)

Proof of her lack of the self preservation instinct?

1 box cake mix, 3 eggs, 5 tubes of icing, 3 boxes peeps = it would have been cheaper to buy ready made cupcakes at the store (and I would have gotten to bed earlier and had less dirty dishes to clean.

Hmm- lack of self preservation must be hereditary.

Now, Don't Be Alarmed but.....

2009-04-01T09:31:00.007-04:00

Lights in sky prompt flood of calls in Md., Va., N.C.
National Weather Service says it wasn't a meteorological event

The Associated Press
11:49 AM EDT, March 30, 2009
RICHMOND, Va. - The National Weather Service says there is no evidence of any naturally occurring phenomenon to explain bright lights in the eastern sky that prompted hundreds of calls to the service and emergency officials.Callers from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina described brilliant, streaking lights followed by an explosion-like sound around 9:45 p.m. Sunday.A spokesman for the weather service's Wakefield office said the lights are "nothing meteorological that we can see."Callers reported seeing "great balls of fire" lighting up the sky in shades of yellow, purple, white, orange and blue. Some described the explosion as sounding like thunder.

Luckily my kids had the presence of mind to grab the digital camera.

The official story is that it was a meteor.

I ask you, Does that look like a meteor to you?

And how does a "meteor" explain this scene at our local mall??

Or what happened to this hound?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/bal-lights0330,0,5347492.story

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511857,00.html

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_wavy_loud_boom_over_Hampton_Roads_20090330

Send in the clowns

2009-03-31T22:02:00.005-04:00

Alaina keeps reminding me that no one likes a "whiny" blogger
(wine-y yes- whiny no ;-).
I am sure she is right, but sometimes it is hard to be cheerful when you have so much stuff to juggle- and none of it is really "your" stuff to begin with.
For example-
Alaina: on her school's decorating committee (means extra chauffeuring for me), English Pot Luck supper Thursday- must make a dish for 25 people (don't think a 15 year old will be doing that alone), needs a costume for said English class' party- it is a "theme" costume party,
(Plus Each set of parents must send in a letter to be presented to their students at said Pot Luck supper telling them just how special they are- (that is a story in itself)).
Genevieve- Ecology club- (more chauffeuring), drama club - supply costume, (more chauffeuring), middle school orientation Tuesday AND Wednesday (seriously), bake cupcakes for class for Friday, Birthday party- with 6 10-11 year old girls - Saturday.
Mark- running club- early drop off, Air and Space museum field trip Wednesday-(must wear "school" t-shirt- must find said school t-shirt-hopefully it is clean) , send in money for teachers' gifts?? (class mother said she is collecting the money until spring break- is this for the end of the year gift? Don't know- but I send it in), write up and send in recipe for "secret" mother's day cookbook (still not kidding).
And that is just this week.
Then I get to focus on preparations for Easter.
(oh, and the circus is in town next week, the kids are hoping to go-(still not kidding)
How do mothers with jobs outside of the home do it???
Not to mention the laundry, and the cooking, and the dishes?
I know, I know, I am blessed.
So
Lord give me the strength to survive my blessings!!

sorry - I'll try to be cheerier tomorrow.

One guess how I am feeling today......

2009-03-31T16:21:00.004-04:00

Supporting the Arts

2009-03-29T16:41:00.006-04:00

There was a County-wide student art show this weekend in Fauquier County Virginia. The art teachers of all the public schools (elementary through High school) chose the work of some of their students to represent what their classes are learning... Genna (5th grade) had one of her pictures chosen to exhibit.

Below are some of the other amazing pieces of art on display:

This photograph was remarkable- the glow on the beads made it seem mixed media/ 3D, I am sorry that a picture of a picture, does not end up doing the original justice!

So many promising artists- I wonder how many will continue into their adulthood?