Dog sitting the grandchorkie

Our CPA daughter and her fiance headed out to his home state of Pennsylvania for a family friend's retirement party, followed by a detour down to DC afterwards to visit a couple of his groomsmen. Since they'll be gone for about ten days, our furry grand dog came to stay with us. If these two relocate to Tennessee or the Carolinas after they're married like they keep threatening, they're going to miss out on the convenience of free dog sitting. Heck, I even drive and meet her halfway to pick up their snarky little fur baby. Talk about service. Not to mention the help we'd provide them with future grandkids when they'd like a break from the little darlings.

Since the grandchorkie can get around virtually any freestanding baby gate, we recently opted for a compression gate to keep him from dashing upstairs any time the mood strikes. Since he taught this trick to our younger cairn Finn, it was absolutely necessary with the law school daughter home with us for her interning gig most of the summer. Her bedroom is upstairs. It's nice that I no longer have to worry about the doggos sneaking up the stairs anymore, and particularly the chance they might fall down them since our older girl cairn has bounced down them a time or two when she lost her footing. About scared me to death, y'all!

As you can see, the grandchorkie makes himself right at home in the husband's lap. All three of the dogs spent a big chunk of time outside at the pool pavilion through lunch time, where the husband was smoking ribs and chicken for us. Our younger daughter and niece enjoyed a dip in the pool, but the dogs weren't tempted to cool off in the water with them. With the heat index at 105 right now, I'm waiting until the sun dips low on the horizon to go out and perform my daily poop pick up. Oh the joys of dog ownership.

Finn, our spoiled fur baby

Until I get some grandkids to prattle on and on about, you're stuck having to hear my tales about our furry children. Finn has become way too accustomed to sleeping on the bed with us since the first of the year. Even though we've provided a lovely kennel with memory foam padding, a separate plush dog bed next to his terrier buddy Pepper as well as a nice dog bed beneath our bed because he enjoys lounging under there frequently, none of it is worthy at bedtime. Oh sure, the rotten little toad starts out in one of these three locations. But once the lights are turned off and we settle down to sleep, he starts in with the whining and rearing up on the side of the bed to make his case. Namely, he directs his plaintive cries at the weak-willed husband's side of the bed.

It's like when the girls were young. Sometimes I had to let them fuss a bit to get accustomed to our expectations and way of doing things. I always considered it the sign of a good parent to train them in the way I planned to proceed rather than have them thinking they're calling the shots to get me trained. Of course, I was usually the one laying down the law and following through, not their daddy. Little man Finn quickly realized his whining and complaining would get him nowhere with me... just like the girls. So what did the wily little pup do? He promptly moved over to the pushover's side of the bed to get his way. Sounds familiar, doesn't it. All it took was a little fussing to get placed on the bed, his preferred sleeping spot. It's not that Finn's a bad bedfellow. He curls into a doughnut and is down for the count. It's the principle of the thing that the husband caved to the dog's demands. God help our girls when the grandchildren finally do come along and Da (the husband) gets left in charge occasionally.

With all of the rain we've had this spring, I purchased new toys to keep the doggos entertained while indoors. Their favorites are the super squeaky rubber chickens I found online. The annoying noises they make when squeezed have the dog's eyes rolling back in their heads in delight. With no fluff filled innards, Finn can chew all he wants without destroying them. He likes to bark at me when I don't throw the chicken toy for a game of fetch quick enough to suit him. Further proof of spoiling right there, y'all. I swear it's probably the best money I've spent on doggy babysitting since we got the little beast.

We've noticed that Finn will often watch the TV even though it's on the wall above the fireplace. Recently he discovered the ceiling fan in the family room, so his latest trick is watching it spin. I have no idea why he finds this so fascinating, but there you have it.  

Daddy got a new ride

Thus far this year we've been doing our best to support the automobile industry. In January I received the new SUV we ordered back in the fall. Then the husband sold his leaking, rough riding Jeep to replace it with a 4Runner a couple weeks later. In February we gave the younger daughter's vehicle to our niece when her car broke down, and got our girl a snazzy little SUV that we initially tried to buy her when she finished her undergrad degree last year. And finally, the husband gave his truck to the other nephew when he purchased a new one that is better able to pull our trailers, as well as the camper the husband thinks we might need after he retires. You know, hitting the road to explore America with our dogs in tow like so many blue hairs have done before us. I must admit the husband's new truck is sturdy, yet has all of the plush comforts that make for a smooth ride. 

Mother-of-the-bride dress search is on

Good grief, y'all, I had no idea what I was getting into when I began my search for a mother-of-the-bride (MOB) dress this spring. I've seen the attire friends and family have worn for weddings, and been impressed with the variety out there. Everything from fancy power pantsuits to Mrs. America evening gown wow. However, there was never any doubt that I would be going with something more understated and modest for our older daughter's big day.

In my search of about twenty favorite designers and brands, I was taken aback at some of the styles as seen above - spangled and sparkled, hugging every curve, cut up to here and down to there. Not to mention the obviously aged thirtysomething leggy models in a size 2 showcasing MOB dresses in their ads. Where are the gracefully ageing 50-60 somethings in a size 12 who wrestled on some Spanx so I can get a feel for what these dresses would look like on me? Bring on the bat wing arms, crepey skinned turkey necks and overlapping inner thigh models so I can imagine how these dresses would appear on The Real Housewives of Postmenopause.

So many of the dresses are beautiful, but just not what I envisioned wearing. I don't mind a touch of beading at the neck, waist or sleeves. But a full-bodied bejeweled gown isn't me, not to mention heavy and uncomfortable. Neither is that stretchy, figure hugging scuba fabric. There isn't enough shapewear in the state of Texas to get me squeezed into one of those numbers. I'm aiming to lose about 15 pounds before the wedding, not 50.

*Sigh* I think all of the dresses above are really pretty, but obviously not what I have in mind. The mother-of-the-groom and I are in agreement about finding a dress that blends rather than competes with the bride's lovely gown and her bridal party. I've spent the past couple weeks scouring websites to narrow down my choices with several viable options. Right now the frontrunner is this dress below... though definitely not in this bright fuchsia color. 

I love how the material both above and below the waist is softly draped so any ripples or bulges aren't noticeable. One shoulder dresses are having their moment, and I like that this option is very modest. I checked with a customer service rep through this designer's website and I can purchase up to three yards of the fabric color I select for any alterations I'd like to make. I'd obviously be closing that slit on the dress so it hits around my knee. And maybe adding a 2-3" band on the open shoulder side that could hide an undergarment strap. Maybe even attach some rhinestones or beading to that skinny strap to fancy it up. With such a high neckline, it will be tricky to find the perfect necklace to wear. Adding that bit of bling with alterations would mean all I'd have to do is find some complimentary earrings and I'd be done.  

I've received swatches of color options I'm considering for this dress and have shown them to the girls. We've about decided that the following colors below are the best choices given the bridemaid's dresses, groomsmen's suits and my hair/coloring. I have to agree that hunter, gunmetal, petrol and emerald are all beautiful options. I still have to chat with the groom's mother to see how her dress search is going since I don't want to be wearing the same color that she chooses. 

In the meantime, I'll continue looking and weighing the various options out there. As you can see below, there are many MOB/MOG gowns that would fulfill my wish list of specs and can be ordered in a color I want. It's reassuring that I'm pretty spoiled for choices and still have six months to get my dress selected, purchased and altered for our girl's late fall wedding. I'll keep y'all posted as the dress quest continues. Wish me luck! 

 

 

 

Catering tasting

I'm not a foodie, and yet I did enjoy the tasting our engaged daughter's wedding caterer hosted for us a couple weeks ago. I made the drive to Austin to spend the day with our CPA to make some wedding decisions with her vendors. And deposits. The checkbook was open, y'all, when she chose cranberry velvet draping to be installed behind the band's stage at the reception venue. Next we visited with the baker at her shop where the future bride designed a lovely five tier wedding caked based on this simply elegant inspiration pic below.

 

 

Then we were off to the tasting with her caterer, where we spent almost two hours sampling and discussing what they're considering for the final menu. This included everything from signature drinks and passed appetizers, to a couple of the entree offerings as well as desserts that will be available in the patisserie lounge. As much as I adore wedding cake, I'm also looking forward to seeing the croquembouche. Since the daughter wanted French inspirations for her wedding, she included this eye catching dessert as the centerpiece of her pastry table. In case you're not sure what I'm talking about, it's a cone shaped tower of cream puffs bound together by caramel - see sample pic above. Since it's the star of the dessert offerings, the croquembouche is merely decoration and there will be individual cream puffs available to actually eat. The sweets selection will also include creme brulee, flourless chocolate cake, strawberry napoleon, and pavlovas. That's in addition to three different flavored layers of wedding cake. My life long sweet tooth is already looking forward to sampling this display of decadent desserts. Sounds like I'll need to be sure I'm poured into the serious shapewear under my mother-of-the-bride dress if I'm gonna be enjoying all of this rich food and drink!

 

Wrapping up our John study

As I turned the page in my old school spiral planner to May this morning, I got a bit sad. This month always heralds the end of our current Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) study. Since early fall I've been immersed in the Gospel of John, breaking it down verse by verse, with a wonderful group of ladies that range in age from late 30s to early 80s. We've shared insights from the Holy Spirit, pondered applications of God's eternal truths, and prayed with and over each other through the struggles of life. 

Above is probably my all-time favorite commentary to read with my BSF study materials. Warren Wiersbe breaks down God's word in a way that's both revelatory and easily understood. I've purchased Wiersbe's commentaries for every study we've done, and I just ordered the one for the new study that will begin in September. If you aren't familiar with Wiersbe, I highly recommend his BE series.

Though I'll miss our weekly lecture and discussions, I'm already looking forward to our next study of the book of Revelation that kicks off in a few months. In the meantime, I look forward to finishing the book I've been reading on and off since the first of the year, how to deepen my prayer life. I'll also be diving into a few books I've purchased this spring, working to improve my memorization of Bible verses as well as one about politics and the Lord as we head further into presidential election season. 

In the past I've tended to let the lazy days of summer run away with me. I tell myself I'm going to commit to reading books I've purchased, and then the next thing you know it's August and I've made little progress. Last year I had the excuse of ongoing house updates and a new puppy. This year I'm going to pray about improved focus and discipline to let the Lord show me what I need to see. With my lovely office all put together this summer, I've got the perfect spot to lean into God's word and grow my faith. What a wonderful Creator we serve, that He never strays even when I wander away from Him.