Sunday Smile

Snapshot Saturday: Freckled Face Buddy

The dog is the god of frolic.
~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

*You were an absolute joy to have at our house, Moses. It was wonderful to be surrounded by your happy attitude (I don't think that tail ever quit wagging!) and enthusiasm for play (boy did Grimace get a work out!). You're a wonderful puppy and I hope your mama does a lot more travelling in the near future so you can come stay again.*

Friday Find

One of the goals on my 101 in 1001 list is to buy a piano. The other day, I decided to browse our city's "rummage sale site." I found this beauty, built in 1903:

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? I'm not sure this is in our budget right now, but it never hurts to dream (while I'm dreaming, I'm going to imagine playing this piano in this house). I'll just keep my fingers crossed that there will be another antique, upright piano waiting for me when we do have the means to bring one into the house.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Presidents and Their Pets

I thought I would do something to acknowledge this year's President's Day. I decided to look into our leaders and the pets they had while in the White House. Here is a fun link I found. Now why couldn't they cover this kind of information in history class? It would have been so much more enjoyable!

Sunday Smile

Sleepy Kiddos

To my left, I have a sleepy Crickett.


To my right, I have a sleepy Moses.


Mr. Moses (Crickett's half brother!) is staying with us for the next week while his mama is away. Neither puppy thought sleeping sounded like a good idea last night. I think they are regreting their decisions now. I hope so, anyway, so I can get more than three hours of sleep tonight.

First Valentine's Days

I thought since it was Valentine's Day, I would look back at the first time I spent this holiday with each of my sweethearts.

Mitch and me back in 2006. We got dressed up and went to a fancy restaurant for dinner (that's back when we were romantic!).


And, here is my little girl on her first Valentine's Day. This was only two days after we brought her home, back in 2009 when she was a mere eight weeks old.


Happy Valentine's Day!

Florida Vacation, Part 2

Let's continue our tour of Hogsmeade and then check out Hogwarts!

The Weasley's car!


The Owl Post.


Photo op outside the Owl Post!


Inside the Owl Post - how cute are all those packages? The attention to detail inside these shops was incredible.


Outside of Olivander's, the wand shop.


Wands from floor to ceiling on every wall! A group of 30 or so is allowed in the wand shop at once and during that time, Olivander fits someone for a wand.


Hagrid's Hut.


Photo op with Hogwarts in the background.


Hogwarts from a distance. On the right side of the photo, you can see the track for the "Flight of the Hippogriff." It's a cute, child-friendly (a.k.a. Holly friendly) roller coaster. Wish I would have got a photo of it.


The entrance to Hogwarts.


Visitors walk through the castle on the way to the "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" attraction. Bags were not allowed on the ride, so I put my camera in a locker and, thus, have no photos of the interior. It was quite magical, though.


We walked through Dumbledore's office, the Dark Arts classroom, and the Gryffindor common room. The portraits on the walls spoke and moved from frame to frame like they were described in the books. So much fun!


I had a blast at this part of the park and was sad to leave. I would definitely go back to the Universal Studios Islands of Adventure just to go through the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

Sunday Smile

Have a fun SuperBowl day, everyone! (Or, if you're like me and don't care about "the big game," have a wonderful Sunday!)

Happy 26th Birthday

Happy 26th Birthday to my dear, sweet husband!


Love you and your shenanigans!