What a gem!

I love blogs like this.  I love people who introduce me to blogs like this.
I also love these pictures.

Want, want, want

Etsy



Etsy

 This is what happens when I don't bring a book to work.  I window shop.  I have a strong feeling that I will end up making both of these purchases, after I do a little measuring.

August 26th is a beautiful day

Colored bubbles are an awesome idea.  I couldn't wait for Willa to try them.  They are best used under close supervision.  This situation didn't turn out nearly as bad as it looks, everything washed out (and it was pretty darn funny.)

Do you wonder why I am arguing with NOFX that August 26th is a better day than August 8th?  It is the day, 31 years ago, that I was adopted!  I couldn't have laid out a better plan for my life.  That's right...DeeDee got what she wanted:)  Ok, I'll stop quoting NOFX songs now.  But I really do think that clams have feelings, too.

Wilderness Water

Several weeks ago, we went on a tanking trip down a river whose name I have forgotten, with some Nebesniaks and some Petermanns.  If you have never been tanking, I highly recommend it!  It was a fantastic time.  A few tips though: wear lots of sunscreen and if you have a fear of wilderness water, like I do, drink several beers.  Enough to be comfortable sitting in the river.  Lets do this again next summer!  And brooke, thanks for the pictures, which I stole by taking screen shots of Instagram on my phone and then re-Instagraming them.  Complicated, but worth it since there are very few pictures of Brad and I together on the blog:)

Amigos

I like this picture that Brad caught on his phone last Saturday night while the kids were all watching a movie.  At some point in time, I'm pretty sure that Willa, Borne and Kael will all gang up on the rest of us and take over.  They are a scrappy bunch:)  I would also like to take this opportunity to tell Brian that I am very sorry for what our fruit tree did to you, jumping up out of no where like that!!

There are places that a Burley is NOT made to go

Last Sunday, we finally got to go for a family bike ride!  I still haven't posted any pics of my new bike yet, I just realized.  Oops.  I am in love with it.  We decided to take the bikes to Branched Oak and ride around the lake.  Doesn't that sound just lovely, and relaxing, and laid back???  Well, when we got to the lake, Brad decided we should check out these so called "bike trails" they have.  So, me on my Bianchi, Brad on his little BMX bike and taking turns pulling Willa in the Burley trailer on washed out, rooty, steep hills.  It was a little scary at first.  Willa just kept moaning and saying "Um, not fun mommy."  But, it did get better/easier and then we found these fun little secluded campground areas where we stopped and had some rice crispy bars.  She thought that was much better.  Then, we actually did ride around the lake which was more relaxing.  All in all, it was a nice bike ride, if just a little bit challenging.

Our favorite food is muffins

We went to the downtown farmer's market with Grandma Luth the other morning, and then had coffee and muffins at The Mill.  For some reason, Willa and I really like to eat muffins together.  The other day, I asked Willa how to spell her name.  She said "W...I...65...75."  She is so close to genius.  She also named one of her stuffed dogs Puppy Van Boening.  But if you ask her, Van Boening is NOT her last name.  It is the name of her dog. 

I haven't posted any pictures of the house lately, we kind of took a break from house stuff after all the trim painting.  We do have big plans for Willa's room, though.  And a trip to the new Denver Ikea is in our very near future, so that should motivate some house projects!

Anybody else thinking now that putting some silent numbers in their kids name could be a really fashion-forward idea???

Mabel and Lu-Dog

I want to say a million thank you's to all of our friends and family who sent us such nice thoughts and prayers in the last week.  It is evident that we surround ourselves with animal lovers!  I want also to share this most beautiful blog post from my friend, brooke.  Her pup, Mabel, and Luther were instant friends from the moment they met.  It was always guaranteed that if Luther and Mabel were going to hang out, they would then be exhausted for days, as they would play so hard.  That is true friendship.  Why don't people play like that???  Oh that's right, we have to go to work afterward, not take naps on couches all day long.  Pay special attention to the picture of Luther eating the stuffed cheeseburger, squeaker and all. 

Puppy love

In case you didn't shed tears after that last post, here are some pictures of pictures of baby Luther.  I'm guessing right about now, you want to go buy a basset hound puppy.  Or at least spend some time playing with one.  I know I do!

Farewell, friend

The handsome fella that is common to all the above pictures is Luther.  He was our first baby.  Brad and I drove to Grand Island to get him from a lady who had an ad in The Independent the day we first moved into an apartment complex that allowed dogs, back in August of 2003.  He was born in late June, therefore he was just over 8 years old.  What a dog!!!  If you have never looked into the eyes of a basset hound pup, then you have never known pure joy:)  If you have ever met Luther, you know that obedience and good manners were lost on him.  As a puppy, he was a biter, a chewer, a barker.  As an adolescent and older pup, he stole food, whined when we had company, and jumped on the laps of people he liked.  His short hair fell out everywhere.  He sometimes forgot how to be potty trained.  And his most fatal of personality flaws was that no matter what, he was a runner who followed his nose, as hounds are prone to doing.  But despite all these things, we loved this guy like mad.  You just couldn't stay angry with those sad eyes, those long ears.  He was the most gentle creature, always happy to see us, eager for our attention, loved to cuddle.  And when Willa joined our family, there was never a concern that he would bother a baby, or be unkind to her.  He would allow her to hit, pull his ears, climb on, ride, poke.  And at the end of the day, even if he stole her snacks or stepped on her toes with his giant paws, she would hug him and tell him that she loved him.  Her "You-Fer."  (His name was tricky for her, as she can't do L's or th's very well:)   
Sunday night, we lost our Luther.  I will spare some of the yuckier details, but I was home alone, getting ready for a night shift at the hospital and he got off the lead and choke collar that we put him out on when we can't walk him on his leash.  I didn't know he was gone for about 10 minutes and by the time I started looking for him, I had a terrible feeling that it was too late.  He had been hit by a car.  My parent's came and helped us with his body, which we made a nice home for in our yard, amongst some pine trees and sunflowers. 
If you have ever lost a pet, you know exactly where we are at right now.  Devastated.  I get short of breath when I pass the spot on the road where the accident occurred.  I semi-dread going home and not having him run to greet me.  I start to talk to him while I am doing house work.  I never realized how much he filled our home with his presence, how much everything I do all day is just a little bit affected by my buddy.  I have never been able to set a plate of food at the edge of the counter or on the coffee table before.  I have never had to sweep up food scraps from the kitchen floor.  I have never been able to leave a door ajar to the outside.  I have never felt worried that there might be a stranger in my yard that would get scared away by his bark.  I have never had to explain to a 2 year old why she won't see her furry friend ever again, but that she can visit his forever-bed and talk to him if she wants.  Ugh.  I have never shed so many tears typing a blog-post.
If you knew my friend Luther, say a little prayer for him.  If he ever stole your food, or rooted in your purse for a stuffed cheeseburger, or got frisky with one of your pets (or your leg), please think of him fondly.  And if you have ever lost a pet, my heart goes out to you, as well.

I'm no expert, but I don't think this is what potty training looks like

Quick Willa story.  I was on call for the hospital on Wednesday for 8 hours.  You hate to really do too much on days that you get put on call, just in case you would get called in (which rarely happens).  So I decided that we should just bum around the house and Willa should try wearing undies and using the toilet!  Genius.  After the first hour of this situation, we had gone through 4 pairs of undies, 2 beach towels, and a roll of paper towels.  Hmmm.  So we gave up on wearing anything at all on the lower half of the baby body and Willa put on one of Brad's tshirts and pulled it up over her head and then just stood and watched Finding Nemo. 



Does anyone else see the resemblance?  Does anyone want to come watch Beavis and Butthead Do America with me?



Willa makes good cookies

We baked the other night for our guests.  We were not aware that my mother would be bringing over a giant cheesecake and then putting 62 candles in it for my birthday.  These cookies were from the Isa Chandra Moskowitz cookbook called Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and they were the best cookies I have ever made.  I think they were called something like Fudgy Wudgy Oatmeal something or others.  I ate about 62 of them.

Carbon and nitrogen decomposing stuff, just for turning 31?!? Yes, please!

I have always thought that birthdays are just too short.  I mean, its a big deal that you were born, right??? And there are 365 days in a year?  Why not take at least a week to celebrate your birthday?  Maybe not every minute of the whole week, but I do like to plan a few special things for myself during my birthday week.  The very beginning of my celebration was a gift from Brad of a new bike!  I won't elaborate on it too much, as I don't have pictures of it yet, but will soon.  Then came the bummer...I got sick and couldn't go on my big bike ride with Katie that we had planned weeks ago.  We were going to take the MoPac trail to Eagle (and beyond) but I got the crappy summer cold that was floating around.  So did Willa.  So, I spent the weekend working and sleeping and not riding my new bike.  On Tuesday, we had a little get together at our house, as my cousin Debbie was in town for the night on business from Denver.  It was a very nice time, complete with lots of pizza, desserts, and wine.  Thursday, the actual day of my birth, we enjoyed the farmer's market at Fallbrooke, and then dinner and drinks at Toast, which is quickly becoming my new favorite place to eat/drink/have coffee and muffins.  They have a fantastic veggie burger.  And fried pickles.  And Summer Shandy.  We get to cap off the birthday week tomorrow night with a pool party and BBQ with friends.  Willa wants to try the diving board for the first time!  Many, many thanks to those of you who participated in Allison's Birthday Week.  It was very enjoyable.  I am now well into my 30's.  Eek. 
You may be wondering why a post about my birthday started off with a picture of Willa standing next to a really cool looking tumbling composter.  You are so observant!!  That was my other gift from Willa and Brad.  I was not expecting it at all, but really did need one!  I have a little research to do on the proper proportions of the compostables, but I am looking forward to enriching my garden soil.  When we first moved into our new house, I ordered a small counter top composter from OXO, and I love it for collecting my cooking/kitchen scraps.  Now I have a place where I can dump it!  Thank you, Brad and Willa!  I know it just kills Brad to buy gifts that he doesn't think are "fun."