Oh how my dogs make me smile! Every year we take Helena to see Santa and we haven't this year because of snow storms and our Santa's schedule. Hopefully we can arrange to do that after school one day. I was getting concerned that we wouldn't get our annual picture.*************************************
My hands are awful right now due to baking cookies. I tried to pace myself but it still seems like rolling dough it is too much on my wrists. I did get the sugar cookies, gingerbread, lemon cookies and some lemon raspberry cookies done as well as some regular drop cookies. I am wearing my carpel brace all the time until it gets better. So I stopped the baking for now.
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Getting old is a bit liberating. I am wondering why I bake all these cookies anymore. It was different when I baked for the boys, and to supply my grandmother with cookies for when the family was at her house. But Nana is in a nursing home now, the boys are busy with their own lives and I need to cut back (somebody PLEASE remind me of this next year). I don't even think the kids would notice if I didn't do as much. My husband might but even he isn't picking at the cookies the way he used to (he is on a real ice cream bender right now).
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Next Christmas should be a little bit easier. I've decided to buy one gift card a month and I've joined two cyber groups that should make Christmas easier. One cyber group is shooting to make one present every two weeks and the other group starts in July with Christmas sewing. I usually begin in March anyway so I think it will be good to get more ideas and get moving. Don't get me wrong, I'm done for Christmas but I didn't make many presents this year because my hands. I was just getting back into the swing of things when I had this setback again.
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One bright spot, my husband is moving out of the attic all together! After his accident three years ago, he moved his fly tying bench up there because it was warmer than his basement man cave. He really hasn't done any fly tying but he's decided to move it all back down to the man cave and I will have more (and safer) space for Helena's toys. Maybe I can even put a table up there to catch up on scrapbooking and my sunbonnet research.
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We're off to the farmer's market this morning for some last minute things! Have a wonderful Tuesday!
The other night we had thunder storms. Of course, every rumble brought barks from the Ted-meister. So I put the leash of shame on him, put the end of hte leash on my husband's lap and --voila!--Ted fell asleep under my husband's legs. All would be fine except then Seamus came into the picture...and sat in front of me whinning. He isn't afraid of thunder storms at all, generally he sleeps through them, but he is afraid he is missing out on something that Teddy has...
So I slipped a leash of shame on him too and he layed down on the opposite side of the ottoman and fell asleep too. And you dont' think they are like two kids? SHEESH!
Little boy Seamus...
And Mr. Ted. All of the dogs are sporting Easter ties that I made them from some leftover fabric, they seem to like them (or maybe they just like the fuss we make).
NO time to rest for me, although Paddie and Teddy make me long for it!!! Don't they look cute together (rare picture for Paddie to let the boys get this close).
Seamus is good too, still doing his therapy work. He just went back to doggie daycare and is getting a bit uppity there--he is going through the bad boy adolescent phase--not with humans, just with other dogs which they tell me is normal...
Tomorrow is the last day for hospice training and I have to start cutting back on watching Miles because my back is getting worse. He is over 17 lbs at this point!
Note Seamus' position as Paddie prepares to eat her meal. Granted, if this was Teddy, Paddie would have already chased him away. She seems more receptive to the younger Seamus--probably because he has such a calm energy--and just growls and ignores him. Seamus innocently pretends to have just casually decided to lay down there to sleep...
Seamus warily eyes the piece of kibble Paddie has dropped (slightly right of the bowl). He continues to remain still.
"Paddie Mama, is that a cat over there?"
"What? I'm just laying here getting ready to sleep." 
Oh how my dogs make me smile! Every year we take Helena to see Santa and we haven't this year because of snow storms and our Santa's schedule. Hopefully we can arrange to do that after school one day. I was getting concerned that we wouldn't get our annual picture.
This is our dog Teddy. He looks like a big fluffernutter but he is our insecure middle child who barks an incessant amount and is dog aggressive. When we got our youngest dog Seamus, we were concerned how Teddy would behave towards him. We didn't know about Seamus' therapy magic (he was born with a special loving gift) but we marvelled at what good friends they became and how patient Teddy was with this little puppy who jumped on him and tried to nibble his ears.
A truly candid shot that looks like one of those family shots you get the photographer!
Snugglers :)
One could play hide and seek inside, but Seamus tends to stand and stare at people that hide which ruins the game a bit... 
Of course there is always torturing the dogs! Teddy doesn't mind it so much though...
Stay warm today!
