Needed: A Quiet Spot

My brain feels like it is crammed full to the point where its starting to leak a little bit. You know what I mean? When it feels like you're not sure if you can really think about one more thing...

Christmas was interesting. I've never slept on an air mattress in the middle of nowhere on a 10 degree night with NO heat before. Family dynamics are so fun to observe, but not so fun when your boyfriend expects you to have some input. On the other hand, Rosie was very well behaved. Everyone just loved her to death. We later realized that we would pay for it when we arrived home. She is now uncooperative regarding her potty schedule. I'll spare you the details... lucky you.

We are now looking for a house.. I found a couple houses that looked intriguing, but after making rounds in several neighborhoods, I'm discouraged. It seems we always find the best house on the street in so-so, run-down, and/or undesirable neighborhoods. I am ready to have more space and actually have all of my furniture in one spot, rather than in two places (apartment and storage unit). Plus, an extra bathroom would be so heavenly. You gals with boyfriends and husbands understand, right?

I'm tired of trying to navigate the world of mortgage loans online and figuring out the mumbo-jumbo, sifting through my credit and making sure I can get the best loan I can qualify for, and dealing with never-ending "offers."

What I would love right now at this very moment is a spot where I can just sit quietly in peace. This would allow my brain to stop racing with all the things that are happening right now. Maybe if I could sit for a few minutes, I'll be able to fix the leak?


This lovely spot would be very nice. This was taken at the Chateau where we visited Leonardo da Vinci's grave site. It was a very simple Chateau compared to the ones in found in Loire Valley. Nothing fancy, just pure simplicity.

Ah, simplicity.

Sam's New Wardrobe

When we recieved our boxes from Land's End, we were surprised to recieve a 3rd box. In this box were two lovely dog coats for Mr. Sam. This was an unexpected gift from my Mom.

I immediately pulled them out and put them on Sam to see if they fit. He just stood there, unsure of what was happening. He seems to like them, since he hasn't tried to wiggle out of it yet.


Which one do you like best? The red down quilted coat? Or the navy blue fleece coat?

As I just put on the red coat on Sam, Paul walks in. He has this look of bewilderment on his face and uttered "gah?"

"Oh Paulie, Mom thought it would be nice if Sam had his own coat while playing outside with Rosie. You know it isn't fair since Rosie has her own build-in coat, so to speak."

"Gaaaah..."

"Well, Im gonna take him out for a walk to see how he likes the coat."

"Aaaah. At least put on the blue one, its less obvious."


It looks like Sam enjoyed the blue fleece coat. He had a blast playing with Rosie, and he didn't shiver or whine once! Tomorrow he'll wear the red coat with his matching red booties.

Thanks Mom! *hee hee*

Miss Michelin

It is official. You can now call me Miss Michelin. I am Michelin Man's long lost cousin, from Nanook.

After a thousand trips outside in minus temperatures and nasty wind, not to mention 2 feet of snow, my poor feet got very cold and tired of changing into a zillion socks everyday. I decided that I couldn't afford to lose my feet to Antarctica-like weather, so drastic measures were taken!

I went online and ordered some lovely blue-gray snow boots and several pairs of Smart Wool socks. Oh. My. Goodness. How did I survive without either??

These are my favorite pair of Smart Wool socks.

They're a funky blue stripe and... they're knee highs! My calves eternally thank me when I wear these. I now have several pairs of these socks so I can wear them on a daily basis. If you haven't heard of these, please go check them out online- your feet and calves will eternally thank you.


Ahhh....snow boots. What did I do without you? I'll never know.

The nice thing about these boots is that, not only do they keep my feet warm and dry in the snow, they're also made from waterproof suede... so they are "classy" enough to wear to work under a dressy pair of jeans or black trousers. Ive worn them everyday, everywhere this weekend after the snowstorm we had. I absolutely LOVE them.

Here is a poor attempt on my part to take a classy picture of my spanking new boots. But I forgot that it is 6:00 AM and I don't think my lavender pajama pants are... *ahem*.... classy? Please pardon this picture and the dirt on the toe of my boot. See, I just got back inside from taking Rosie out.



Speaking of the devil, look who also loves my new boots.
Rosie, get away from those boots! ROSIE! ROOOOOOOOSSIIIIIEEEEE!

5 Facts about Miss Rosie

Rosie, our Newfoundland puppy, has been home with us for 2 weeks now. In that period of time, we've learned a lot about our darling girl.

1. Rosie has a very strong resemblance to a black bear cub.

2. Given the choice of sleeping on warm carpet or the cold hardwood floor, Rosie will gladly sleep on the hardwood floor. Apparently, Newfs get warm and they enjoy kitchen and bathroom floors. She refuses to sleep in her crate if there is a blanket in there.

3. Rosie loves the snow, but doesn't like it when it is taller than she is! Because of this, Paul dug pathways and "rooms" in the snow to give Rosie room to run and play. I affectionately call it Rosie's Fort.
She's spoiled, I know.

4. In 2 weeks, Rosie has gained approximately 8 lbs! She is now getting close to Sam's size. How long will it be until she surpasses Sam? Who knows.
Poor Sammy.

5. Rosie loves the camera. She has a specific pose that she likes to do. She looks over her shoulder and gazes lovingly at the camera. Who can resist this expression?

Desserts Français de Noël

Now that Christmas is coming up very quickly, there are many tempting desserts laying around the office, school, home, and wherever else you go...

When I see these desserts, they have nothing over the ones I saw in France. I know, I know... I keep saying nothing is as good as they are in France, but in this case, it is absolutely true - trust me!

The French are famous for their chocolatiers- otherwise known as chocolate shoppes. Once you step foot inside one, you cannot erase the experience from your memory. It becomes such a vital part of your being. If someone asks me what my idea of heaven is, my response will be: "stepping into a French chocolatier and never leaving." The aromas are unbelivably impossible to describe. The sights are simply overwhelming with various different kinds of chocolates, cakes, candy and tarts temping you everywhere.


This is a chocolate shoppe located in Blois, which is approximately 45 minutes southwest of Paris. The window at this particular shop did its job: it attracted us and we were immediately piqued by the assortment of chocolates. We decided to go in and check it out.

Once you step inside, you are overwhelmed by the variety of desserts available for your pleasure. The creativity of these chocolate pieces blew me away. They were pieces of edible art.



Kathy and I felt like a kid in a candy store. "Ohh, look at that! Aww! I want that one! Gasp! What flavor is that one?" We left with sore ribs after poking each other several times, oohing and ahhing at all the different delicious confections that we wanted to try.



These were cream pastries in different flavors. I was drawn to the seashell ones. Have you ever seen anything like this before???


Kathy and I decided to purchase several staples and share them. That way we could get a taste of everything. I must say that my favorite was the raspberry fruit tart, which is pictured above. It was absolute bliss. The chocolate was to die for, especially the dark chocolate log pictured in the second picture above. I highly doubt I will ever find anything remotely close to what I found in this shoppe, unless I go back.


The guys loved the butter biscuits and the hard candy. Not only were the cookies and candy beautiful, the displays were just stunning.

I'm happy to say that Ive tasted many of these staples and officially gone to heaven. When I think of Christmas desserts, these little cozy shoppes with their mouth-watering pieces are what comes to mind.

Distractions

It was a snowy Sunday and I had many things on my to-do-list. I completed a few, but not all. I did make several dozen Christmas cards by hand and have about half of them ready to mail out tomorrow. A good day in all, I suppose. I am currently dealing with some things at work and trying to complete a few things for my class before the semester ends in 2 weeks. So, this month is a crazy one...

On top of all that, Rosie finally came home last night! She is absolutely adorable and we are very much in love with her.

I better go and try to finish one or two more things on my list tonight before Monday comes around in the morning. As you can see, Ive had my share of distractions today...



Here are some videos from earlier this afternoon. Rosie loves the snow and will spend hours outside if we let her. She likes to play chase with Paul and likes to dig for leaves in the snow with me.

Click on the links below to view the short clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBEKln554SI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPSQCrIowUk

Cheesy Rose

You can tell that Mary, the breeder, is stocking up on cheesy photos of her puppies before they go to their homes this weekend.

Oh lawsie mercy.

Rest assured that Paul and I will NOT resort to this level of cheesiness, although you must admit she is kinda cute.

Rose is the last girl on the right.
She is the shortest and fattest compared to her siblings, of course.

We are busy this week trying to clean up and make the appropriate arrangements before bringing Rose home. We purchased two crates and some toys yesterday. Paul will assemble them tomorrow evening while I rearrange some of our furniture to make room for a very large crate in the kitchen.

We are super excited, yet amazed that we are indeed getting a Newfoundland dog. Of course, this will not be the last post about Rose, so I thank all of you in advance for your patience for future cheesy posts.