Mr. Darcy is now Dapper Dan!

I'm not the only one with a new haircut...Mr. Darcy had his very first trip to the groomer yesterday! I was just so used to seeing him all fluffly and scruffy, that I wasn't sure I would really like the outcome of a haircut for him! But, being a poodle, NOT getting groomed is NOT an option!! Matted hair can be painful and the hair that grows in their ears can cause ear infections! So off he went! Here's Mr. Scruffy before.


And here's the result...SO adorable!! He weighs somewhere between 3 and a half to 4 pounds, but it looks like the groomer took 5 pounds of hair off of him!!

I can't believe I was worried that I wouldn't like the new haircut!! He's so cute now!

Friends of ours, Jody and Dallas, have a female toy poodle named Five-O who is just one week older than Darcy. I was telling her that the two of them would make beautiful puppies together!! The only problems with that scenario: 1.) They're both too young yet. Mr. Darcy's umm, equipment hasn't even developed yet!! (And as soon as he's old enough, he's getting snipped!) 2.) Mr. Darcy isn't registered. 3.) Five-O lives in Maryland and Darcy is in NY. 4.)The bulk of the work would be on Jody and Dallas as they're the ones with the female!! I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate that one little bit!! Ha ha!! But it's a fun thought anyway!!

He was in my lap and was looking at himself in the mirror.

The next 2 shots are very blurry because he was in my lap and I was just too close with the camera, but they were cute, so I included them.

And of course, Drew loves him to pieces no matter what he looks like!

Going in for the wet kiss on her cheek!

Today's quotes:

Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching. ~Rudyard Kipling

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Bern Williams

New year, new hair style!

Anyone who knows me well knows I get bored with my hair frequently. I change the color and style so often that the people I see only a few times a year are usually surprised at how different I look everytime they see me again! Well, it was that time again! I made an appointment with my hairstylist, Marc, the ONLY person allowed to touch my hair, yesterday and when I sat down in his chair, I said, "I don't care what color or style you do, just make it different. You have free reign, don't even tell me, just do it!" Obviously, I trust him!! And for good reason because here is the result.


In the shot below, the flash was once again too strong so my face is washed out, but it's a better shot of the front of my hair, so I included it. The style isn't much different than what I had. Marc says he wanted to keep it somewhat long because when I walked in the salon yesterday, he really liked my hair longer...it's way longer than I usually have! (Try to avert your eyes from my messy sewing/computer room! Actually, this is MUCH less messy than it usually is! Normally you cannot even SEE my table top! Ha ha!)

And the back view. I LOVE this color combo!! I have had my hair entirely black with candy apple red streaks, black with bright blue streaks, completely blonde, bright auburn and every combination in between! My inner "artiste" dictates how I want to express myself on the outside, so it has been pretty wild in the past! The current color and cut is relatively tame compared to past hair styles! I just love my hairstylist, Marc!!

Today's Quotes:

Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like. ~Author Unknown

Hair brings one's self-image into focus; it is vanity's proving ground. Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices. ~Shana Alexander

I'm not offended by all the dumb-blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know I'm not blonde. ~Dolly Parton

Luci gets another Tooth Fairy visit!

Lost tooth #3 for Luci! She lost this one on 1/1/11! Say, "Cheese!"

Today's Quotes:

Other than a dimple in a cute little chin,What's more adorable than a toothless grin?~Azu "Betty" Espezia

In this pocket you will find, A teensy, tiny tooth of mine. So while I sleep where dreams are made, Let's see if you can make a trade.~Author Unknown

2011!!!!! Out with the old (garbage), in with the new (life!)

An old year has departed...thank goodness, and a new one has begun! Before we commence with the new year party pictures, I just had to show off my new BLING!!!! I admit, I'm a bit obsessed with it right now, it's so pretty! And I cruise the Pandora website frequently making my mental list of what charms to add next! I just love it!

Last night, we packed up some food, beverages and the girls and headed over to the house of our good friends, Scott and Sue. (Sue, you might remember from previous posts is not only a camping buddy but also my workout partner!) Dan and Tina met us there and we geared up to ring in the new year together! The kids were on hyper-speed the entire evening! Occassionally, they would settle down long enough to sit in front of the tv for a movie, but never for more than 10 minutes or so at a time! Sue made up some beds on the floor for them, popped them some popcorn and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, they not only didn't last long, they had a popcorn war and it went EVERYWHERE!!! At least they had fun!

Max and Sonja napped earlier, so they were in good spirits!

Mine didn't nap, so I thought they'd crash early...boy, was I wrong!! Luci practices for the big countdown. (Note the popcorn-covered floor behind her!)

The adults drank responsibly the whole evening, which we are thankful for this morning!! But we had as much fun as the kids! We joked, played games, Scott dug out a big box of old pictures and we laughed til our sides hurt!! Scott is a childhood friend of Dean's, they've been friends since Kindergarten!! He had some great shots of Dean from the 80's!!! All I'll say is hair and acid wash jeans!! Woo hoo! Sue and I have been friends since I was in 9th or 10th grade...she's a few years younger than me, but we became friends when I started dating her older brother way back when!

And as usual, wherever Drew goes, she's doing cartwheels.

Just before the big countdown, Dean and I pose for a shot! Happy new year, honey!! Here's hoping our 2011 is stronger, better and even happier than 2010 was!!

3, 2, 1......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

MUAH!!!

Drew toasts the new year with a sparkling glass of "champagne"! Actually just sparkling grape juice, but they loved it!

No, Sue...don't do it!!!!

After the celebration of midnight died down a little, we put the kids to work cleaning up their mess! Actually, Luci INSISTED on helping, and soon after the others joined in!

There's no denying they had fun!!

Dean actually made it to midnight with very few snoring episodes...but as soon as he sat down, all bets were off! GOING...........

GOING.............

GONE!!

Followed shortly thereafter by his brother, Dan!!

The kids, however, discovered a second wind and started a dance party!

Jeb does a mean robot!

Drew's isn't quite as convincing! Ha ha!

Darien looks like she's cheering on the whole group in this shot!

And where was Luci during the dance party? Off in the other room drawing!

But she finished up shortly and joined the others!

She shows off her split skills!

The video clip below is of Dean and Luci doing the Just Dance 2 game on the Wii.

I am SOOO glad to see the end of 2010!! Although 2010 was WAYYYYY better than 2009, it had it's share of ups and downs. The garbage I thought I had disposed of at the end of 2009 kept resurfacing in one form or another a few times throughout the year. And though my outlook about the whole thing remained surprisingly strong, it wasn't without it's lion's share of unwanted stress and painful reminders! I find it extremely bizarre that a person who hurt and scarred myself and my family...my ENTIRE family, grandparents included, would think that sending a Xmas card to said grandparents would think this a rational thing to do! It's actually kind of scary considering her mentally unstable state of mind...kind of like a Fatal Attraction scenario where the psycho keeps doing things to maintain some kind of a link to the family she nearly destroyed! Ah well, I learned last year that trying to understand psychopathic people is akin to banging your head against a brick wall! The best thing to do is just smile and move on!! (Although I am not against obtaining an order of protection should the unwanted contact continue!) At least now, these grandparents have a better understanding of just how much of a pathetic freak-show this person is! Probably not the "feel sorry for me" response she was hoping for by sending it in the first place. Almost sad, really....note I said ALMOST! At least she holds some entertainment value, if nothing else.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the new year and all it promises! My motivation to keep going to the gym has inspired me to seek the services of a personal trainer who works at the gym where I'm a member. John has created a customized workout for Sue and I and also recommended books and diet advice as well...his mom is a nutritionist, so he knows a thing or two! He has watched the usual workout we do and has promised that as long as we follow his advice, we should lose weight twice as fast (or faster!) than with what we're doing now. I am super excited, inspired and very motivated...and I think Sue is as well!!

I'm also excited about my photography business! This past Xmas season was my busiest to date! Normally, after senior picture season died down, I'd get a few Xmas pictures cutomers, but not many. This year I was getting calls left and right for Xmas pics! So, though I WILL slow down for the rest of winter and spring, I actually look forward to the break!! Dean and I have again started working on the inside of the house trying to get all the little jobs done, especially that back bedroom that has yet to be mudded! Once we get that done, we still plan on moving forward with the foster care/adoption process we started last year! Little by little, this house is becoming the one I always dreamed of! (Well, if it were located in some place with year-round warm weather, it wouldn't matter what it looked like...it would automatically be my dream home!! Ha ha!!) And come hell or high water....the house WILL be sided THIS year!! We nixed the Disney trip we were supposed to take in December for this very reason...so it had better get done!!!!!!

Yep...2011 promises to be a GREAT year!!!

Today's Quotes:

The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months! ~Edward Payson Powell

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past. ~Henry Ward Beecher

MERRY XMAS!!!!!

Another Xmas has arrived and has ended with sleepy kids and hubby snoring! It was one of the better ones, I have to admit!! Let's back up and begin where the festivities started. Last night, as we do every year, we packed up the kids for our Xmas Eve tradition of going to Grandma and Grandpa's house to open up gifts from and to them. We had a great dinner and then proceeded to what the kids couldn't wait for!! We all gathered in the front room and I turned the tv on the holiday music channel. Some ballet from the Nutcracker Suite was playing, so the girls naturally started dancing! Luci and Sonja dance a duet.


Drew's solo.

Max has no interest in ballet, but that kid sure can eat!! He was still polishing off what was left of his dinner while watching the girls dance.

While waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to tidy up in the kitchen, the kids got a little rambunctious. Max steals Papa's hat and makes his getaway!

Meanwhile, I received a Xmas Eve gift of my own in the form of a footrub from my honey!! I NEVER turn down a footrub (and I seem to be getting lots of them, lately!!)

The kids attack Dan!

Even Darcy was getting rambunctious...he destroyed one of Grandma's plants, the little turd!

Messes all cleaned up, we finally get to the gift-unwrapping phase of the evening! Grandma starts passing them out! The girls each got a Zipfy toboggan, books and lots of jewelry to go in new jewelry boxes! From Aunt Tina and Uncle Dan, they got Teacup Piggies and a couple of presents that they weren't allowed to open until the next day (so as not to ruin the surprise gift from Papa.) Dean's parents were VERY generous to Dean and I as well!!! We are very thankful to have such wonderful parents!

My mother drove into town to shake some jingle bells outside the window, but the kids were so loud, they never even heard them! Ah, well! Lesson learned for next year! After the gifts were all opened, Dean shows Drew Santa's current location according to NORAD on his phone.

Drew was in a hurry to get home for some strange reason...hee hee! So at about 7:30, we packed up and headed home. The night before, the girls were invited to spend the night with Sonja and Max, so we had all day Xmas eve to put together some gifts for them. My mother bought these desks for the girls and Dean put together another computer so each girl would have her own machine! Ahhhh, no more hearing, "It's MY turn for the computer!!" When we arrived home from Grandma and Grandpa's, the girls took down their last Xmas countdown stocking, opened up their new Xmas jammies, bid a fond farewell to Timothy the Shelf Elf and then headed upstairs where they got their big surprise!

My mom also bought them their own 32" LCD HDTV for their bedroom! Lucky little girls! The tv in our own bedroom isn't this big! (Nor is it a flat screen, for that matter!!) They took a super fast shower and then jumped into bed watching their new tv until they fell asleep!

Santa arrived sometime that night and here's what our livingroom looked like!

Most of their presents come from us and they're aware of that. Santa brings just a few SPECIAL things! For Luci, he brought a pink bean-bag (theater seating for the new tv!) and four new Webkinz, a moose, caterpillar, chihuahua and a Blufadoodle...a sort of blue peacock.

Drew got the same, but her Webkinz are a tie-dye puppy, a pink peacock, a signature golden retriever and a miniature black poodle (that you just KNOW she's going to name Darcy!!)

I just love Xmas-time...for many reasons, but especially the decorations! I LOVE my tree!!

This morning, Darcy woke me up around 4:45 wanting to get into bed. An hour or so later, I finally got tired of just laying there not being able to get back to sleep, that I got up, got dressed and headed downstairs to wait for everyone to arise. As I'm turning lights on, I notice headlights in my driveway...my mother had arrived EARLY!! So I let her in and we waited together. We didn't wait long as Monty came barking when he heard my mom's voice! Anyway, I always love taking that first picture of the girls when they see their goodies for the first time!!

They wasted no time in demolishing the wrapping paper!

The surprise gift from Papa that I mentioned earlier...a Wii! This was a huge hit...not only with the kids, but with the adults as well! Dan and Tina got the girls 2 Wii games: Life of the Party and Just Dance 2. They also got a Zhu Zhu game, Family Game Night 2, Carnival, Cooking Mama (2 maybe??) and whatever the one that comes with the doll...something about babysitting. The Wii game itself came with Wii Sports and Super Mario Bros. So they have PLENTY of games to keep them busy!

They also got Zhu Zhu stuff up the wazoo! There is an entire guest bedroom with nothing but Zhu Zhu tunnels and rooms in it!

And as we do every year, even the dogs were given gifts! They love to open them (esp when there is a yummy treat inside each one!!)

My dad took the girls out shopping to pick stuff out for Dean and I. Luci picked out this smart ensemble for Daddy!

Papa and the dogs snooze after a very busy morning!

Dean tries his hand at Wii bowling.

Luci's turn!

Drew's unique ball launching style! It works because she kicked everyone's butt when it came to scores!

This is Luci doing the Wii boxing. We all loved her moves in the ring!!

As with Dean's parents, my parents were very generous to not only the girls, but to Dean and I as well! We are so lucky to have our parents and we love them so much!! Thank you!!

After all the frenzy died down, the girls carted all their new stuff upstairs to their room. I am NOT looking forward to finding the room for it all!! Later on in the day, Dean's parents came over as well as Dan and Tina and the kids and my brother, Thadd, his girlfriend, Sarah and her daughter Kaydence for Xmas dinner. I made my famous homemade Mac n Cheese and my dad boiled a ham. It was delicious and we all stuffed ourselves silly! We played a couple of Scrabble games while the kids went wild again until it was time for everyone to leave. It was a truly wonderful holiday spent with all the people we love and who love us! Even without all the gifts, it still would have been a truly wonderful day for all! I was having so much fun that I never pulled my camera out again, so I missed lots of pics, but the memories are still great!

And on Monday morning, my holiday will get a little bling blingier when I take some of my holiday cash to the jewelry store and buy myself a little trinket that I've been wanting for quite a while...a Pandora bracelet! :-)

Hope everyone had a simply fantastic holiday...we sure did!

Today's Quotes:

This was the best day EVER!! ~Drew at bedtime tonight!

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~Charles Dickens