Lazy Weekend...

Buddy & I needed rest so we headed for the Eastern Shore... As you can see Bella needed some rest too. She had a lazy weekend at our beach house... (Bella get off that couch!)

Buddy sat on the front porch and watched the traffic go by...

J & J

Jodi & Joey were near by so they met us for dinner. We had dinner with the "newlyweds" at our favorite restaurant in Cambridge called "Portside." Behind J & J is the draw-bridge going up...

I love this draw-bridge that is next to our fav restaurant (Portside). The restaurant is only a stone throws away from our beach house, so we can walk... Over the bridge is the historical part of Cambridge with brick roads and quaint shops. It's a sleepy little town near the Eastern Shore, friendly, waterfront, and the best seafood in Maryland!

Oh.... we had to go home. This is the tail end of the 4 mile Bay Bridge crossing the Chesapeake Bay...that leads to the Maryland Eastern Shore. When traveling to the Eastern Shore, timing is everything~ or you will be stuck in traffic for miles. At home I look forward to trying my new Products from Product Body. I ordered some VELVET Product Body sugar scrub, and Joanna (owner of Product Body) was super super sweet & thoughtful to tuck in goodies like: Pink Grapefruit cream, yummy Butter Scrub & a WOW of a Bath Bomb Fizzy.
I love the new bail container shown with the Velvet Product Body sugar scrub. I plan on re-using this earth friendly container to hold notions in my craft area. Great idea~ Joanna! I love all these products! What a way to end the weekend....ahhhhhhhhh

Wedding Countdown...4 days...

Bella, Muskie, & Sam

The only ones who had fun today were the dogs... It rained so hard in the morning, early afternoon that the landscapers were unable to come today... They will be here tomorrow.

Sweet Sam...

My shadow Bella...

See you tomorrow- WILL HAVE PICS OF THE LANDSCAPING!

"I hope the weather is good for the wedding."

Have you seen this bird??

Steph from "Playing with Soap" http://playingwithsoap.blogspot.com/ has lost her bird... she wrote:

"Honestly, I would not post this, but I am just hoping maybe someone in Hudson County NJ may come across this blog and possibly may have seen my bird.This afternoon at about 4:35 p.m. as my husband was unpacking our car and as I was walking away from the car to walk my doggies an unfortunate accident had occurred. Tita's traveling cage had dropped and broke apart. Normally, I do not clip my birds' wings during the winter so that they can fly around the house. Unfortunately, when the cage broke apart Tita flew away. I did not hear the cage drop, but for some reason as I was walking towards Boulevard East I had looked back and noticed that several people looked up. I looked up myself and knew that was Tita flying in circles. I ran back, but unfortunately it was too late."

I believe in miracles~ wouldn't it be wonderful if someone here on the east coast (NJ area mentioned above) has seen her little pet Tita...and let's Steph know.

Holiday Cooking....

Weekend with the granddaughters...Cookies? No...Pies? No...Breads?... Nope~We made our first batch of pumpkin patch dog cookies for the holidays...we will deliver them in December to our friends with four paws in the community...

Notice my bargin fall foliage in the background? Great to cover up a messy kitchen now full of dusty rolling pins, flour covered pillow seats, etc...

Moving Day! Real Cottage Living...

Within four weeks, a whole lot of elbow grease, weekend trips to the local dump, painting, scrubbing, sanding, fighting with bees, planning-replanning- the kids finally moved in...there was even a rose in full bloom, this day in November.

They went from this...

To this...

From this...

To this...

And this...

And this too!...

And when you have three pups that fill a kitchen when feeding....

You need a big & beautiful yard for them to play & frolic in!

Enchanting Northern Trip...

This weekend, the first thing I asked myself when I arrived home after visiting relatives in beautiful Bennington, Vermont was "Why did it take so long to make the trip back here?"

Nestled among some of the most breathtaking American scenery, filled with orange, red & yellow mountains, wildlife, fall foliage, maple syrup & a dog named Sasha...My sister had asked me a month ago..."Sis, do you want to make the trip to Vermont to visit some relatives?" Ummm... I first thought to myself "Nope, can't do it...family, the dogs, work, time away before the holidays..." but when I thought about the years that have slipped away, time that seems to be going by quicker than I can count... my next breathe I said, "Yes." And I'm glad I did....I would have missed all this....

Fifth generation farmhouse, that once was a tavern....

Front side view...

Side/back view...if you look closely there's a flag for practicing golf!

Next to the farmhouse is the historical wood workshop where my cousin makes custom golf clubs. The workshop is heated with several wood stoves...

Part of a family owned rock quarry...that was once craved out to supply stone for some local churches, & other buildings in Vermont...I climbed the mountain behind the farmhouse to see this...I'll admit I was on the watch for "bears"...but someone was there who was one step ahead of myself, my sister, & cousins. Someone who knows the land well, & takes a daily walk with my cousin among this beautiful land was....

Sasha!

Sasha, an adorable six year old Bernese Mountain dog was in true form. This beauty~bright & an incredible gentle giant for 92 lbs., was our escort for miles on the mountain, through trails of leaves & historical pathways. She stayed one step ahead of us, knowing the trails as if she had carved them out of the mountains herself! This was the only "little bear" I would see all weekend! Whew..... :)

Also, this weekend my cousin made my sister a custom set of golf clubs....to read her story, please visit... http://mudpuddlegirl.blogspot.com/

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Just the End to a Perfect Weekend...

After a wonderful weekend at our beach home in the sun & fun with the kids, grandkids & those with four little feet...everyone is ready to turn in early...

Bella ~ Cinderella & Muskie pooped after playing all weekend with those with two little feet!

When I arrived home, made time for a special sewing project...
My parents request to make a Billow (small pillow of comfort) for a family friend diagnosed with liver cancer...

Added a little yellow ribbon ~the color of liver cancer awareness...

Just a little visitor tonite. At first I thought it was a fuzzy bee...but it ended up being a brown fuzzy hummingbird. I had never seen this type of hummingbird before...

Have a wonderful week! Thanks for visiting.

Unusual Bird Nest Find...

I did find out what species of bird is nesting in my yard...okay-it took my 5 yo granddaughter about 2 seconds to tell me it was a ROBIN. And she was right! She also found another nest on our property that was not occupied~ and it actually was made out of something very unusual~ our Bella's golden hair. There weaved ever so delicately was wisps of our blonde lab's hair. What nature can do with something we try to vacuum away each day!

Bird Watching....Name that Bird!

Today is Sunday July 1st, the beginning of a new month and to my delight the beginning of a new life, in the making...Look what I found in a bush next to our porch...

...To make this find even sweeter, it is the nest of the Maryland State bird ~ the Oriole ~ well, so I thought, but after doing some research...I actually can not identify this beauty...

She was in her nest, but quickly flew off ~ a fence post away to stear me away from her baby...I can already see she is going to be a very good parent...

I quickly snapped a picture of the only egg I see...are there more?

I will quietly visit her again, and to try capture more pictures as the babies are born, etc...

If you can identify this bird, please drop me a line! I would love to know.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Day in the Life at the Pond...

Build a pond and...


...they will come...

...to read...

...they will come to laugh with good friends...

...they may even come to fish, even if a sign says...

...NO FISHING ~ But who cares...

...these friends will never tell!

Life is good in the pond above & below...

Enjoy your day!

Do You Paws for Life?

Stop and think for a moment...what can be rescued only to teach us to be gentle, love us unconditionally, be there to greet us no matter what the day brings, & never minds if the house is clean....?? I call this wonderful circle of living, "Paws for Life"...

Two of our rescue dogs, Muskie & Bella~Cinderella...



And remember those who are not with us anymore taught us just that being together was very important....



And together these three always were. That was over twelve years ago... dear Sam, beautiful Shelly the Sheltie & a little black kitty named "Smitty" never to be forgotten...

And today the loving cycle of "Paws for Life" continues as this little girl lovingly welcomes her new rescue dog...

Ashley & Jake


Do you have a "Paws for Life" story? If so, please leave me a comment...