Meet Moto

I am sheepishly returning to my blog after more than a YEAR! Good grief! I have been horrible at this! I guess I was waiting for something news-worthy to happen for me to write about. Well, the drought is over. I have news! I would like to announce a new addition to our family- a four legged black and white addition named Moto! (before you ask, Jeremy named him and I don't know where he got Moto. I think it has something to do with motor or motorcross.) On Friday, May 14, we brought home an 8 week old Boston Terrier puppy. I have been dying to get another puppy for a year or so now, but Jeremy was never thrilled about the idea. Well, I guess I talked him into it, or either he just gave in because he couldn't stand me whining about a puppy any longer! Plus, Moto in all of his 3 pounds of cuteness and cuddliness helped seal the deal the minute Jeremy picked him up. :) He is so fun and SO much work, but I don't mind too much.

He and Wilson have been getting along pretty well. One of the main reasons I wanted a puppy was so Wilson would have a playmate. He is so social and really enjoys playing with other dogs. I also thought it might help with his separation anxiety. (For all of you non-dog people who are laughing right now, yes I am serious. Dogs can have separation anxiety.) I was worried that he would be jealous of a puppy since he is such a spoiled dog as it is. Things were a little tense at first, but overall, Wilson has been great! They are already playing together. I worry because Moto is so much smaller than Wilson at this point and neither dog seems to realize there is a size difference. I love watching them roll around, chase each other, and steal toys and sticks from one another! In spite of the potty training, sleepless nights, constant monitoring, messes in the house, whining, and all those other fun things, this puppy is totally worth it and has made me so happy!

Quote of the Day

"Joy comes from within….It does not depend on circumstances, but triumphs over circumstances. It produces a gentleness of spirit and a magnetic personality. "
---Billy Graham

Homemade Bread

Last night I did something I've never done before......I made bread from scratch! (This is the part where you reach down and pick your jaw up off the floor.) I always assumed baking your own bread was ridiculously hard and time consuming, so I never attempted it. However, I came across a fairly simple recipe while looking for something else and decided I'd try it. I had fun kneading the dough, but my arms got tired! It sure made our house smell good too. The recipe made two loaves. The first one came out of the oven and looked beautiful! I was so proud of myself! (obviously, since I took a picture of the bread!) However, I did not let the second loaf rise properly and it came out looking a little funny. I put it in the freezer for later. The first loaf tasted really good. Homemade bread is way better than store-bought bread! Yummy!

There's nothing quite like...

...the smell of clean sheets. Or at least Wilson thinks so! He LOVES clean laundry! I usually dump it all on my bed to fold it and before I can even put it all down, Wilson is rooting around in it, making the perfect little burrow. It is so funny. He has always done that. Luckily, he is a clean dog (most of the time). I caught this cute picture with my new camera my dad gave me for Christmas. I had just washed and dried these soft, flannel sheets and I was about to put them on the bed when I turned around and saw Wilson all snuggled up in them. He was so cute!

My new pantry!

As part of my Christmas present, Jeremy decided to build me a much-needed pantry. Our kitchen is pretty small and is seriously lacking in storage space. Jeremy was worried that a pantry would be a lame Christmas present, but as I told him, a pantry is something I can definitely use and enjoy and I will love it even more because he built for me. It is finished now and I do love it! It's just perfect. I was a little worried at first because I really didn't think there was room in my kitchen for a pantry. But, Jeremy put it in the best place and made it the perfect size. We had a lot of fun filling it a few days after Christmas. This brings me to another part of the story. For the last two Christmases, Jeremy's mom has done something sort of unusual for each of her kids and their families. She buys a ton of shelf-stable food in bulk and gives each family a considerable amount of items such as canned soups, cereal, cake mix, flour, sugar, canned vegetables, etc. To make it more exciting for the little kids, she makes a game out of it and it's pretty fun. It has become a Christmas Eve tradition that we all look forward to. It is so helpful too! I didn't have to buy a single can of cream of chicken soup last year, and I cook with it all the time! So, now, instead of storing it all in a rubbermaid tub in our spare bedroom, I put it all in my new pantry! Jeremy did a great job building it. I am always impressed with his carpentry skills when I see him in action. It's nice to be married to a guy who can build anything!

Today I remembered that I have a blog and that I have not posted anything for over a month! I guess I need a little more excitement in my life to keep me writing.

Since you last heard from me, I took the GRE test....yuck! It was not fun. It had been a long time since I took a test that lasted for hours or one that required me to solve math problems! The guy sitting next to me kept sighing LOUDLY, every two minutes or so. He was either struggling with the test or just had an annoying habit. It drove me crazy! I guess the torture was worth it though, because I got into the Graduate program I applied to at ISU, which is Organizational Communication. I'm not quite sure what that is, but I'll find out! Haha!

I have also been busy with work. We had several last minute events pop up in November, making for a very busy month. Now we are into the holiday season, which I love! We have a Holiday Open House today at the President's House and another one tomorrow evening. I love Christmas and all of the decorations that go along with it! I love the food too...probably a little too much.

We put our Christmas tree up shortly after Thanksgiving. Wilson undecorated the bottom third of it the first day he was left alone with it. Silly dog. I decided to just leave those ornaments off in case he tried it again. So, our tree is a little different with ornaments only on the top two thirds. Jeremy was nice and climbed up on the roof to hang lights for me. I begged like a little kid. I love the lights on our house! They are the colored icicle ones and something about them makes me think of a gingerbread house. I just smile every time I turn onto our street and see them.

Hopefully I'll write again before the month is over, but in case I don't.........Merry Christmas!!!

Snow!!!

I was very excited yesterday morning when I woke up to snow on the ground! I love the first snowfall of the season. It snowed just enough to lightly cover the ground and most of it melted by 11:00 a.m. or so.

However, this morning is a different story. We have 2-3 inches on the ground and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. It started snowing pretty hard yesterday evening, and it must have continued to do so off and on throughout the night. I think it is very pretty. I probably have this positive attitude towards the snow only because I am able to stay inside, all snuggly and warm. In fact, Wilson is curled up in my lap as we speak. He is the best cuddler! He is not a fan of the snow. When I let him outside yesterday morning, he charged out of the door full speed ahead, only to stop suddenly as soon as he realized he was standing in the snow. He has a very funny walk when he is in snow. He walks very slowly and picks his paws up as high as he can. I don't see how that helps, but he does it every time!