Ten Years Ago Today

A year ago today I wrote a post about  adopting our precious dog, Libby.  Sadly, the sweetest, easiest going dog ever passed away in January. I couldn't resist the urge to repost that anniversary post.  

Sixty-three years ago today this little dog came to live at our house.  

Okay, it wasn't really 63 years ago (to anyone but her).  It was actually nine years ago today, that Liberty Bell "Libby" Smith arrived at our house via a pet rescue organization.  

"No shedding, less than 20 pounds, free and not a puppy."  Those were the criteria for acquiring a dog that my husband set out once we agreed that we would add a canine companion to our family.  Surprisingly, it only took a few days before our dream dog was found.  And she was free (that is until I ran into the back of a Mercedes as I drove home from the pet rescue). She has been a dream dog, more like a cat than a dog really and worth every insurance- deductible penny. 

I remember thinking at the time how competitive it was to adopt a rescue animal -- 8-page forms and multiple assurances that "the well-being of the dog will be your family's highest priority."  Perhaps the conditions for getting married, having children and lots of other things, should be as exacting? 

When the pet rescue folks called during that year's broadcast of the Academy Awards (remember A Beautiful Mind?) to say we'd been selected as her new owners, we were elated - like we'd won our own little award that evening.    

Libby was housebroken from the minute we brought her home and  incredibly low-maintenance.  Our veterinarian estimated her age to be older than the 2 years the pet rescue folks said, so we have no idea of Libby's real age.  Suffice it to say, even in those first couple of years, our daughter would often say, "We didn't get a dog, we got a grandma" because Libby was so quiet and easygoing.

It is sad for me to think that sweet Libby is in the twilight of her life.  She has brought us lots of joy, put up with a lot over the years (see above) and has been almost no trouble at all.  I have been known to say, "We feel like we won the dog lottery"  when referring to Libby.  On second thought, perhaps we should have named her "Lucky."

7 Days

"On the first day of Love Week,
 my True Love gave to me . . . "

Six small gifts (tokens really) and a neat bag to put them all in.

Red lunch bags, a cute font, a 1 inch hole punch and some pink ribbon.  What's not to love?

Love Week - Cupid's Crunch

What kind of Love Week surprises am I planning?  Well, who doesn't love snack mix? Especially the kind that includes:

small pretzels (I used the small twists but the circles would be cute, too)

+

salted peanuts

+

M & Ms brand chocolate candy - in those fun Valentine Colors

+

Quaker Whole Hearts (fun heart-shaped cereal I bought at Target, but Cheerios or any yummy cereal could work too)

+

dried fruit (I used cranberries)

I didn't add these, but wouldn't they be fun?

Mini pink and white marshmallows

There's nothing magical about this recipe, of course,  add and subtract as you like.  I think granola might be a nice addition.  Here's my finished product though:

With a self-adhesive label on a nice smooth mason jar

and 

a smaller, fun-size jar with the cute tag tied on.  

Aimee and Bettijo of Paging Supermom were kind enough to give me permission to link to their post.  You can read about their delicious snack mix and even get your own copy of their fun printable.  


Hooray! Another thing to love about Love Week!

Mother's Day Montage

My great grandmother and grandmother circa 1910.

My husband's mother with her oldest son

My husband's grandmother with our daughter

With matching bandannas in 1995

Mother's Day 2001

Three generations: my daughter with her great grandmother and her grandmother

Mother's Day 2005

My mom (and dad) in 2006

My sweet grandmother talking to my daughter Christmas 1994

 My dad with his mother

To anyone who has a mother, is a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, hopes to be a mother in the future or is "like a mother" to someone else, have an extra special day.  Happy Mother's Day!

More Love Week Fun

As Love Week continues, I thought I’d share a few more things I'm doing to make our celebration special:

These are our table centerpieces.

We’re using these placements.

We might eat these -

Hooray for Dunkin Donuts!

We'll definitely have these (little treats for my children and a few extra for teachers and some friends) -

This cute basket was a gift from a friend years ago.  I love it. 

 
I'm contemplating making these (from the same creative website as the treat above) -- check it out.  

I have a few other ideas up my sleeve.  But the week will assuredly be filled with small reminders of our giant (though not always perfect) love for each other.