We have been home for a little over a month and I have to say, I haven't slowed down much since the season ended. That is, indeed a good thing! The errands and cold wet weather have prevented me from practicing the dogs as much as I'd like but I have to say that each practice session has been very fruitful. To my pleasant surprise the puppies improve greatly with each practice. And if Radar has time to build two extra seats as he mentioned, I'll have room for the two best puppies next year in the show.
A while back I'd loaned a friend my favorite dog training book and completely forgotten I'd done so. I recently got it back and found a plethora of information that has shed lots of light on puppy training techniques. It's one of those books you can open just about anywhere and get a lot of out it without feeling like you had to read it from the very beginning.
In addition to practicing I have taken on the task of redecorating the play room. We have an extra room that served as kind of an office for many years. It also just accumulated stuff. Last winter I cleared it out, cleaned it out and painted it. Georgia picked the prettiest color of teal for the walls. I found the ultimate wooden kids' table & chair set at the junkie store on our corner. I moved it along with bins, shelves, drawers with art supplies, "stuffies," and walking talking dolls into the newly reassigned room. The collection of fairy wings became fluttery wall decorations along with colorful hanging toy nets we over-stuffed with "stuffies" and my favorite artwork of the girls'. I thought it turned out quite nice & cozy! The girls did too, for about a week. Then they just decided to take the toys they wanted to play with out and play with them in the living room. I encouraged them to play in the play room but it seemed they wanted to play in the busy hub-bub of the living area. So, the play room is being reassigned again, this time to Georgia's bedroom. We found just the right furniture from Wal-Mart.com (which has everything in the universe); a loft bed with a matching desk/hutch/chair set that was not only on sale but fits nicely under the bed. Thankfully, my friend Sara Greene helped me put the bed together. And by "helped" I mean she did most of the work. Sara is an aerialist but her heart is in setting up tents. She has every kind of rope, sling, tool, length of becket, size of pulley block, ratchet, etc any rigger/aerialist/tent person could possibly think of having. All of it is stored in the back of her super cool van that I have tried to talk her into selling to me for three years. A project like putting together a loft bed that has 9,000 pieces is not only a "fun" thing for her to embark upon, but is a quick project as well. Very quick. Before I could get my shoes off and my sleeves rolled up, she had every slat, board and piece of hardware organized and laid out perfectly to prepare for "set-up." In about an hour and 15 minutes the bed was put together and even though I tried to help I probably really just got in the way. We had a good time girl-talking while we, or rather she put the bed together. The white wood looks nice against the freshly repainted pale pink walls. The desk and it's accessories are still in the boxes and I have a little more painting to finish up. I think I'll be able to handle the desk assembly myself. But if it gets to be too much, I will just wait till Sara gets back from Christmas break and Georgia will have to continue to do her homework on my desk. Pictures of the completed project are to come.
Anyone who knows me knows that interior design is one of my most favorite things in the entire galaxy!! I'm what my sisters might call a "Pottery Barn queen" and proudly so! I've decorated Georgia's original bedroom which is slowly becoming Tootie's bedroom, in the cutest PB Kids motif I could find; dandelions & bumble bees. It took me several winters to finish the room, and that along with my newly redecorated dining room are my crowning design glories!!! (Is that a real phrase??) The cheery yellow and white dining room was always on the verge of being what I wanted it to be, but wasn't quite there. This winter, I discovered my old living room curtains in the garage were perfect for windows. A second hand shelf unit now serves as a buffet. With an over sized clock, a simple wall shelf, the perfect desk from WM.com and lovely Hobby Lobby (I want to move there) flowers and it's finally become what I call my Pottery Barn dining room!! The color, function and decor finally makes this a room I want to spend a lot of time in! :)
One of these days I'll get my bedroom & bathroom finished up. But probably not this winter. The girls and I have an upcoming trip to Florida to plan. In addition to that we have an appointment to check out our new and much-needed toy hauler near Dallas. (I'm selling my fifth wheel Hitch Hiker; if anyone's interested in details contact me right away.) Between errands, trips, projects and school, we have added karate classes and contortion lessons to Georgia's schedule. With her genuine love for both classes I don't think these activities will prove to be a short-lived phase.
Over the years I have had many people tell me my life story would make a great book. So, me being the kind of person that likes to stay busy finally took those comments to heart. Last week I started the rough rough rough draft of Raising Cainan. (Many thanks to my friend Danny Carey for the best title ever!) I imagine it'll be a couple of years till it's completed, but so far, so fun! I've also had the pleasure of attending a few get-togethers with circus friends, church friends and my dear neighbors who are much like my girls' grandparents. The Hugo circus club's Christmas party is this Saturday and my church's Christmas party is the following day. The week after that we really have to get serious about our Florida trip. It's coming up quick! Before I know it, it'll be time to leave for C&M again! That's ok, because with all the lessons this winter, one valuable lesson I've finally learned, is to really soak up and enjoy everyday and the busy moments that make them up.
Happy winter everybody!
My dear friend and Bible class teacher, Carol has given us the pleasure of enjoying her homemade instant cappuccino as an early Christmas treat. Georgia and I LOVE this! Here's the recipe:
2/3 Cups instant coffee
8 oz. powdered creamer (any flavor)
1 1/3 Cups powdered chocolate drink mix
1/2 Cup sugar
1-2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)
Put the instant coffee into a gallon zip-lock bag; squeeze the air from the bag as you close it securely. Crush with a rolling pin until the coffee is a fine powder.
To the coffee in the zip bag, add the remaining ingredients. Close the bag securely, leaving air in it, and toss the ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Store in a tightly-closed container (quart jar, etc).
Measure 3 tablespoons of the mix into a mug and add 6 to 8 ounces hot water. Adjust to taste, cool with a little milk if desired.
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