"Makes Me Smile" Monday

I intended to post only one picture of the boys today . . . . but I couldn't resist more pictures of these cute little faces !! I don't want to turn into one of those creepy, weird cat ladies or anything, but I love my furry boys . . . . they definitely make me smile !!!!

The boys in the linen closet . . .

. . . . in our bathroom shelves . . .

. . . snoozing on the dryer . . .

. . . and on the couch . . .

. . . and hanging out on Jack's desk !!!

Happy Monday !!!

(Are you happy now, Mom ???? More pictures of the "grand-cats" !!)

Tagged !

I've been tagged by the lovely Jenn for this meme:

Pick up the nearest book and turn to page 123.

Find the 5th sentence.

Post the next 3 sentences.

Here's what I found:

"At the same time, her mind was - in every sense - where she was to spend the evening, and she had to be at ease with herself. She stepped out of the black crepe dress where it fell to the floor, and stood in her heels and and underwear, surveying the possibilities on the wardrobe racks, mindful of the passing minutes. She hated the thought of appearing austere."

- from Atonement by Ian McEwan -

Yeah, I wouldn't want to appear austere either !!!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

I really wasn't sure what I was going to put on the ol' blog for today's post. Then I got a call at work today from one of my favorite patients . . . he was calling to let us know that his wife had passed away on Friday. Only 60 years old and married for 40 years, she had battled cancer for less than a year, and had gone unexpectedly after picking up an infection that would have never phased a healthy person.

In the grand scheme of things, I didn't know them particularly well. They started coming to our office shortly after I started working there, so we were basically new together. They'd both been in for a lot of treatment over the past few years, and dealt primarily with me for all the fun insurance, financial, and scheduling issues . . . I knew them as well as a dental office manager can !!! But I teared up when I heard about her passing, and it was hard to see this broken-hearted husband at the funeral home tonite.

It just left me feeling so thankful for life . . . . for my life. For all the small things that I take for granted every day . . . . . my health, my senses, my family, my husband, my ability to work, my salvation, my furry boys, my home . . . . the list can go on forever, because I have so much to be thankful for. So easily I become restless and frustrated with my life, and with issues that seem enormous . . . . job satisfaction, fertility issues, even my appearance and decorating my home !!! But it doesn't matter. I have the gift of life, and life eternal, and I should be living daily in celebration and with thanksgiving.

Happy Monday !

Hoping that you, too, are giving thanks today for the

beautiful life we've been given !

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's to a day filled with hearts . . .

. . . all things pink . . .


. . . and many sweet treats !!!

Happy Valentine's Day !!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

I love the last page of Country Living, the "Simple Country Pleasures" page. Always beautiful photographs of the coziest of country things, and the perfect quotation to go along. The last page of the January issue hit the spot:

I couldn't agree more !!!! Especially with the notion of knitting . . . my new favorite hobby !

So, I thought I'd give a little update, too, on my first sweater:

I'm finishing up the second sleeve right now . . . then it's onto finishing up the body . . . and then I'm done !!! Hoping to have it finished in the next couple weeks . . . . in time for my birthday, perhaps. What I nice present I could give myself !!!

Here's to a happy Monday filled with winter comfort and your favorite hobby !!!!

Two Weeks Ago Today . . .

. . . . . we were in Cozumel, Mexico !!!!

We started our day by swimming with the dolphins !

We weren't allowed to take up-close pictures of our time with them . . . I guess it distracts them from performing everything correctly. They gave us each a kiss on the cheek, we shook their fins, and we even got to rid on their bellies !!! A very fun experience !!!


We walked around a bit after our dolphin swim . . . .


. . . ate some amazing fajitas for lunch at Senor Frogs . .



(nice view from our table, huh ?!?!?!!)

. . . . Jack with his toes in the water . . . !!

After lunch, we spur-of-the-moment decided to take a glass-bottom boat ride around the area:

. . . very relaxing, very fun, and very hot with the sun beating down on my already sunburned body !!!

The water was such an amazing blue . . . sometimes aqua, sometimes green, sometimes deep blue . . . beautiful in every way ! I found myself just staring at it, trying to take it all in, and somehow memorize its brilliant color !

We had such a good time during our day in Mexico . . . I do believe it was our favorite part of the trip !!!

Ah, yes . . . . and now back to the real world !!!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

We've been doing a bit of sorting thru and throwing out lately . . . a kind of winter cleaning, I suppose ! And that means it's time once again to sort thru the shelves and shelves of my magazines . . . . time to prune the collection a bit !

I found this lovely image in the January/February 2001 issue of Country Home . . . . .

. . . . so woodsy and rustic, yet pretty and cozy !!! A maple-syrup picnic in the woods sounds wonderful !! Makes me smile . . . . !!

Happy Monday !

More Trip Pics

More pictures from our Caribbean excursion !!

This is how I started the trip off: sunning on the top deck with book and drink in hand . . . . perfect !!!

Here are a few more from Jamaica, too:

Our second port was Grand Cayman. We didn't sign up for any activities here, so we had some lovely free time to wander around and relax:

Our last stop was Princess Cays in the Bahamas. It's a portion of one of the islands that Pricess Cruises owns/operates. We reserved our own cabana, and enjoyed yet another day of beautiful weather and relaxation:

Toes in the sand . . . . the best way to spend the day !

More pictures on the way from our day in Mexico !!