Dinner Guests and Doggie Surgery . . .

Last night, we had three of our most favorite people in the world over for dinner. My sister in law and our two beautiful nephews blessed us with their presence for a few hours. Jim cooked a wonderful dinner and, if I do say so myself, I made a mean salad and dessert. I was in the mood for pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Apparently so was everyone else because there was nothing left by the end of the night!!

My poor baby nephew had three shots earlier in the morning so he wasn't feeling very well. We got some belly laughs and a few toothless smiles out of him but he really just wanted to be held and comforted by his Mommy.

Andre, our three year old nephew, had a blast with his cousins, as usual. We think he's becoming more used to the dogs, too, which is a wonderful thing.

I guess it's kind of difficult to be intimidated by a dog that looks like this. Poor Sparky had surgery yesterday morning and has to wear a cone on his head for a week.

We're praying that this curbs his desire to do those "things" that male dogs like to do before they're fixed. : ) I'll keep you posted. HA HA!!

Happy Thursday to you all!!

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

" If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have, that you don't want. "

~ Unknown

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world your best and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It never was between you and them anyway.

-Mother Teresa

Have a wonderful and peaceful Sunday.

Many blessings ~ Wendy

A Pleasant Surprise . . .

This morning we woke up to something that we haven't seen in a while ~ SNOW!! It's January and we live in New York so it shouldn't have come as a surprise but we haven't really seen any in about a month. We had a lot of rain last week and the temps have been above normal for this time of the year so everyones' lawn has looked like giant mud puddles. This is definitely not a good thing when you have a dog that lives for hole digging!! :)

It's amazing how an inch of snow can make everything look sooooo pretty again!!

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words about our baby news. It really means a lot to me that people take the time to read my blog and leave a comment. I get excited when I see 25 or 30 people visiting my blog in a day. I can't imagine how people who get thousands of visitors and hundreds of comments a day feel!! :)

Happy Thursday to you all!!

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Some Exciting News . . .

I've really been neglecting my little blog. Sometimes I just don't feel like I have anything exciting to write about. Today, though, I have some exciting news. We went back for our 3D sonogram and it looks like we are definitely going to be having a little girl in May. She didn't want to cooperate at first but finally, at the very end of our sono, she decided to move her hands away from her face and we got to see what looked like a smile.

I am going to predict now that she will look a lot like her daddy. He and his sister have wonderful bone structure and a cute little nose and my guess is that she's going to carry on the Valentine gene and have the same features. Both of my sister in law's boys have those features as does my brother in law's little boy. I guess it must be a very dominant kind of gene. : )

Don't tell anyone but we let the two younger boys miss school to attend the sono. I thought it was educational for them so I guess it's not such a bad thing for them to miss school. They were excited (probably more so that they were missing school!!) and showed a lot of interest for the first half hour. They lasted a lot longer than I thought they were going to!! : ) For those of you who have never experienced a 3D sonogram, it's so much more exciting than your regular, run-of-the-mill sono. Ours was up on a huge screen so the boys were really able to make out what we were seeing. They would go up to the screen and point out body parts and laugh when she moved around. And, best of all, I had a great view as opposed to getting a kink in my neck trying to look at the little sono screen you have for a "normal" sono.

This was a much more pleasant experience than our last sono so we're very happy and have lots of pictures to look at until we get to see her again. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to be having this new baby. I never thought that I'd have another child and my husband never thought that he'd ever have a biological child. Now he'll have three sons and a baby girl. Amazing Grace. : )

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Some Things Change and Some Things Never Do . . .

First, here is the change . . .

Remember that skinny little stray cat that we started to feed last year? She's not a skinny little stray anymore!! Now she's a bottomless pit that likes to sleep on my computer chair and on my recliner. Here she is mid-yawn. What a life!!

Remember her baby that my next door neighbor adopted? Well, he's grown up a bit and has since relocated to our house. I've apologized to my neighbors. I guess he just wants to be close to his Mama. : ) Here he is, laying under the bureau in the living room. He's taken over one of the dog beds.

Now for the things that never change . . .

Remember the chocolate lab and cockapoo that like to sleep all day and be lazy little lumps? Well, they're still here!!

These pics were taken at 10 am.

And these pics were taken at 12 noon.

And now the cats are turning into couch potatoes, too.

Like I said, some things never change!! : )

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Another Year Older . . .

Yesterday was my birthday. During the day it was quiet. The boys were at school and my husband was at work. After shipping out a bunch of Etsy packages I bought two slices of chicken bacon ranch pizza (seems to be a bit of a craving lately!!) and went home to sit in my recliner and catch up on my favorite soap opera. I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon.

Once hubby and the boys got home we decided to go out to dinner. I was in the mood for coconut shrimp and caesar salad from The Outback. My birthday is the only time the two older boys don't argue with me about going to The Outback. They know it's one of my favorite restaurants but they could take it or leave it. Although, to see Connor scarf down his tilapia and Trevor inhale his cheeseburger you'd have thought otherwise!! The boys then got to spend some of their gift card Christmas money in the mall and everyone went home a happy camper.

This year I turned 43. I can't even believe I'm typing that number. I truly feel more like half that age. I'm not so sure I'll be saying that come March and April when I'm very pregnant but, for now, I will say that. 43 and having a baby ~ who'd a thunk it?!!? Boy, does God work in incredible ways!! : )

Many blessings ~ Wendy

*The picture of the cake came from
mybakingblog.sulekha.com . I couldn't resist!!!

God Works in Very Interesting Ways . . .

On Saturday, I went to visit my father in law in the hospital. He had a stent put in his leg. I feel like I've been visiting hospitals and nursing homes a lot lately and honestly didn't feel like getting out of my jammies on such a cold day when I finally had a day that I could dedicate to cleaning, laundry and working in my Etsy shop. Finally, around 4:00, I worked my way up to the hospital. I parked my car in the visitor's lot at the same time as someone who found a spot right across from me. I looked as he got out of the car and realized that I knew the person. He is someone that is invited to the same party as we are every Christmas Eve. I asked him what brought him to the hospital and he told me that a family member that is part of the group we meet every year at the beach was very sick and was a patient there. His name is "Uncle Walter." He was on the same floor as my father in law (who thankfully is doing very well). After visiting with my FIL, I walked over to the unit that our family friend was on. As I turned the corner, I could see the crowd of people in the waiting room. All people that we spend a week with every year at the beach.

For once, my procrastination was a positive thing. Had I not taken my time to get to the hospital I never would've known about Uncle Walter being there. I never would've been able to try to give some comfort to this group of people that we have come to consider part of our family. I never would've been able to see Uncle Walter and talk to him for what came to be the last time. Uncle Walter passed away at 8 am yesterday morning. He was 82 years old. He leaves behind his wife, Auntie Anne, his children and his grandchildren that loved him more than I think I've ever seen grandchildren love a grandfather. You will be greatly missed, Uncle Walter. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get to know you and to say goodbye.


Many blessings ~ Wendy

Karma 2010 . . .

My incredibly wonderful friend/Chiropractor, Cheryl, sent an email to me the other day. It was titled "Karma 2010." It gives you an outline for a way to try to live your life in this new year. I really loved it and wanted to pass it along. I'm going to put a copy of it on my refrigerator alongside all my other inspirational quotes and pictures.

ONE......... Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO......... Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE....... Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR........ When you say, 'I love you,' mean it...

FIVE........ When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX......... Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN....... Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT....... Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE........ Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN......... In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN...... Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE...... Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN! When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN.... Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk...

FIFTEEN..... Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze...

SIXTEEN..... When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN... Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN.... Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN.... When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY...... Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE... Spend some time alone

Have a happy Thursday!! : )

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Headed Back to School . . .

. . . and looking cool !!

Santa brought some new hats to these two BFF's and they couldn't wait to try them out this morning. It was certainly cold enough here and, apparently, they did the trick.

Good job, Santa!! : )

Happy Monday to you all !!

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

May peace fill all the empty spaces around you
And in you, may contentment answer all your wishes.
May comfort be yours, warm and soft like a sigh.
And may the coming year show you that every day is really a first day, a new year. Let abundance be your constant companion so that you have much to share. May mirth be near you always, like a lamp shining brightly on the many paths you travel. May you be true love.





-- Author Unknown


Many blessings ~ Wendy

Sharing the First Dinner of the New Year . . .

. . . with loved ones, has to be the most perfect way to begin the new year.

We also love my sister-in-law Michelle but I don't think she'd appreciate any of the pics I took of her. : ) Unfortunately, the shots that she took with my "seen better days" camera didn't come out. At least I was able to share some memories and the rest we each have in our heart forever. We love you so much, Michelle, Andre and Jason!!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXO

Many blessings ~ Wendy