happy Friday

Good Morning Friends, well I am hoping to go home today😃. It has been a rough week and I ended up staying in the hospital lo gee than I thought. I must admit today I feel weaker than I have before, but if I'm honest it is because I haven't gotten up to walk like I should have. I'm hoping that getting home will make all the difference. Until Monday-Noreen

Update

This is Carrie, Noreen's daughter.  Surgery went well this morning!  Mom is resting today and then will be hard at work tomorrow so that she can get home!

For I will restore your health to you and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord.  Jer.30:17

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly(or immeasurably more) beyond all that we ask or think or imagine, according to the Power that works within us,
To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.  Eph.3:20,21

These are the verses I am claiming today as I go in for surgery.  I am at peace knowing He, who holds my hand.  My daughter will be posting an update on how it went and how I'm doing.  I'm praying I'll be home in 3 days and will be able to visit you more often.  Until then, blessings on you dear friends!
Because He first loved me,
Noreen

It's Doggy Dental Month

Happy Friday to you! If you are a dog owner, you are probably aware that this month is Doggy Dental Month. Back when I was growing up, we never worried about our dogs teeth; they always had bones that helped remove their tarter. In today's world, it is common practice that dogs get their teeth cleaned annually. This is not cheap, which is why we still give our dogs raw beef knuckle bones. Thankfully however, Mr. Chewy is promoting treats that help keep our dogs teeth free of tarter. Yesterday afternoon Hunter got a package from his favorite company. It is always such a hard decision to make on what product to sample, this month wasn't any easier. We feed Hunter Blue Buffalo dry kibble and so I decided to go with their product.

I love the size of the bones, just perfect for Hunter. He was so excited that he immediately took the bone and hid it.
Blue Buffalo always makes such good products!  Here are some of the details:
" Blue Bones Natural Dental Chew Bones come in a variety of sizes suitable for any breed, and are a tasty, vegetarian-friendly treat that's easy to digest, cleans teeth, and freshens doggy bad-breath. The berries and vegetables are packed with antioxidants.
Key Benefits

• Small size recommended for dogs between 15-25 pounds
• Glucosamine and chondroitin promotes good joint health in dogs
• Blue Bones Natural Dental Chews are made without wheat, a common trigger for allergies
• Taurine supports the heart and guards against cardiovascular disease
• Vitamin A, C, and E supplements boost the immune system
• Calcium from alfalfa helps build strong bones"
• Made in the USA.

Hunter already knows where I keep them and is wanting another one today. I've also just ordered some treats for him that he's already taste tested. Mr. Chewy is a wonderful company! Hunter gives these treats 4 paws up and gives Mr. Chewy a diamond rating for their quality of products, service and blogger review program.
I hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend.
Blessings,
Noreen & Hunter

Blast from the Past

Happy Wednesday to you! I'm having a hard time getting my photos in the correct chronological order, so I'm just going to start with my 10th grade high school photo-the year when heavy black makeup was in. I can't believe I was able to get out of the house like this; must have been because my older sister(13 yrs older than I was) wore heavy makeup. In fact, I think she probably taught me how to apply it. Ugh!

This photo was from 5th or 6th grade-one of my favorite photos.

Next is my 11th grade, hippie era photo.  I'm much happier seeing less makeup.  Over the years, my sister continued to wear Liz Taylor type eye makeup, while I went more natural.

My high school graduation photo.  My mom had other poses she liked more, but I choose this one. I wonder what the other poses looked like.

I look at my grands now and try to see if any resemble me.  
I hope you have a great day; we are running errands all day and visiting friends tonight.
Smile, it is contagious.
Noreen

Remembering When

Happy Tuesday to you. Lately, as I've been seeing many Bichon pups on FB, I started remembering our Hunter and the first day we saw him. Some of you will remember and some not, but I thought I'd share what our little guy first looked like. This first photo is before we got him; he was with his siblings and is the little guy on the left. He was so sticking cute!

After we met the breeder, we took him to a nearby park so he could have so time before we drove for 1.5 hrs home. We also hoped to get him to go potty, but he was a really stubborn boy and didn't go for a full day-even after we got home. At this point he was five months old and I think so confused as to where he was going with these strange people. He had never seen a man before and was pretty unsure of his daddy. As for me, I'm sure he thought this lady petting him and talking in soft baby tones was pretty weird.

It is hard for me to remember just how shaggy he was. The breeder didn't groom him at all and he just looked a mess, although she had bathed him so he was a clean mess.

It took awhile for him to become comfortable with us and I will say(hubby will too)that he definitely bonded with me first. He now loves his dad and sleeps up against him at night, but he follows me everywhere. Hunter has been such an incredible companion for us!  He truly has my heart and if we didn't have his other best friends close to us, there would be another little Bichon running around our house. 
He gets to go to the groomer today, he sure needs it; it is a difficult thing for him to do-he always knows when we are going and shakes the whole time until he is inside.  Once there, he settles down and it always fine when I pick him up.  I have wondered about the mobile groomer coming here; I may have to try it some day.
I hope you have a wonderful day!  I had planned to go for a bike ride this morning, but it is pretty windy out there so I may just go on a walk.
Hugs,
Noreen & Hunter

Monday Monday

Good Morning to you!  I hope this finds you energized for this new month of February.   Yesterday, with millions of other Americans, we watched the Superbowl. To be honest we weren't pulling for either team; there are good players on both teams.  We went to our neighbors to watch the game.  It was a good game and I truly believed the Seahawks would win, that is until the last seconds.  We were so unhappy with the fight at the end of the game!
I will say that there were only a couple of commercials that we liked-our #1 was the puppy and the Clydesdale horses.  Love it!  Hope they keep making these commercials, even though they don't use the horses for parades any longer.  We didn't like the Half Time show; seems they just don't have good shows like they used to decades ago(o.k. so I'm showing my age). 
One show, after the game, that we loved was the special Jimmy Fallon show in Phoenix last night.  We watch him during the week and were pleased with the part of the show we watched last night.  If you missed it Fallon, Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart had a lip sync sing off; it was hysterical! 
This week is very busy for me~lots of appointments and getting ready for next Monday.  I want to talk to my next door neighbor, who was a labor/delivery nurse(now retired) and worked with one of my Dr.'s.  Because it has been 33 yrs since I had my youngest daughter, I need to brush up on how to move after the surgery.  When my first daughter was born, the nurses never showed me how to move after a csection. By the second surgery, the nurses showed me and it made such a huge difference. I'm also going to ask her if she has any tips for my recovery at home; I do know I need to drink lots of water, get off of pain pills as soon as possible and walk as often as I can.  I am setting realistic goals for myself and will adjust them as I go.  Nothing major-just walking etc.  I know it will be hard not being able to drive for a month and a half; thankfully I have a hubby who is more than willing to drive me, as well as friends who will take me anywhere.  I am thinking it may be summer before I feel back to normal or better. 
I hope you have a great day today; enjoy life. 
Joy to you!
Noreen