"A Wink and a Smile"

It is with a heavy heart that I share my sad news ... Our beloved Great Dane/Aussie named "Auggie" passed away on Saturday, September 18th. A little background ... Born 2/8/09 Adopted 4/1/09 Started to limp 7/6/10 Back and forth to vet in July Diagnosed with bone cancer (left shoulder) in 8/10 Started daily pain meds in August- September Fell on shoulder on 9/17/10 Peacefully went to sleep on 9/18/10 There is so much I could say about this dog, but it is still so hard for me to think about and write. Someday I hope to articulate my thoughts a little better. Some thoughts on Auggie ... Beautiful to look at (absolutely striking and unique) Soulful eyes that were amazingly blue photogenic difficult to train needed to be near people completely DEAF (I think this is why he looked at people the way he did) loved to chew big bones ... especially filled with peanut butter shedded a TON (ugh) loved to lay under tables (my chairs were never neatly arranged due to his big body movi...

April Fool's Day was just a little bit busy in my house Still That's no excuse to forget the pretty pup who had an interesting way of coming into our life on April Fool's Day 2009. Remember this face? It didn't take long for us to just love those eyes and pink nose ... He was so cute, cuddly, and able to be carried around ... for about a minute. Then his size started to become evident. That little 12 pound puppy was certainly displaying some of the Great Dane in him ... He has really had a lot of ups and downs. If you ask my husband he will say more downs than ups . He's probably right on this .. . Fast forward many months later you will note he went from 12 pounds to nearly 105 pounds. This picture actually makes him look small. He still can't believe he is the size he is. TRUST ME ! We've half joked that we still have him because he is so unique and beautiful looking. Truth is, he is quite the gentle giant. He also doesn't mind playing dre...

Poor male puppy doesn't understand that 5 sisters do not know any better .

I'm grabbing a few minutes to UPDATE ... Making some MEATBALLS , Spaghetti, and yummy garlic bread. Mommy's little swimmers will certainly be happy when their daddy brings them home from practice tonight! Auggie the Doggie is getting a tad bit BETTER. His newest FAULT includes a $12 a week dog bone habit. I would intervene, but I much prefer the bones over other items ... like furniture, clothing, pillows, wood ;) I feel like I should have mentioned this YESTERDAY (blushing), but my 2nd dear daughter turned "12". I can hardly belief it! I'd write 12 things that I love about her, but honestly that list far EXCEEDS 12! You can check out my 11 from last year . Apparently I was a day late on posting it then ... oops! {k} is so special and surely you can tell from the number of posts I have about HER! Happy 12th Birthday to my talented, loving, silly, smart, and BEAUTIFUL daughter!!!!! Feeling some love tonight ... y A Y!!!

I'm not positive, but I think he may have done it for attention ... that's how smart this Border Collie is. Just prior to the "adventures", I was telling my lovely children how they are not doing a good job at taking care of their animals ... this is TRUE! My summer has been anything, but relaxing with a new puppy and a large one at that. I spoke (in a firm voice) how they need to walk, play, FEED, and clean up their dogs messes or I would soon have them make "for adoption" signs. This of course works as a temporary guilt trip and they then proceeded to put the leash on the puppy. I'm not sure if they intended to take the older dog for a walk, but he had other plans and OFF HE WENT ... A few things to point out ... Border Collies run very fast Children in hysterics don't think clearly. I had one 7 year old writing a "missing" sign within minutes. A certain 9 year old (who also runs fast) went randomly down the streets of the neighbo...

One Dog ... named COMET (the Border Collie) but by the end of the day we had ANOTHER DOG ... St. Augustine "Auggie" Great Dane/Australian Shepherd pup Children love him Mommy was really weak and is now really tired Daddy needs to "get used" to the idea

{m} ... "Mom, I think Comet needs to go outside to the bathroom.  He's dragging his bottom on our carpet"

Make a Smilebox postcard

I think I would go with the purple .  The flowers on the green ones might just be a little over the top ... just my opinion. *Today Miss {m} got her glasses ... isn't she the cutest!

I was just starting to think that this summer wasn't really too hot ... yet.  Forget that thought. TODAY ... Took {k} to swim practice Spent 3 hours at the pool with {c} and {k} Grocery shopped at WalMart and SAMS I have a headache. Surely it is from the sun and heat. I didn't want the television on (I just can't listen to extra background noise), so I asked {k} to grab her book and read.   T his is reading with STYLE ... 'cause everything with her has to be just so . Meanwhile little sister is having fun with "U"Tube ... Comet is just hoping that some of that sprinkler will come by to get him ... Yes, these surely are the DOG DAYS OF SUMMER! (note the browning grass)

That would be a prayer for a dog to find her way back home to her family. This is not my dog, but The Pioneer Woman's sweet Border Collie . It always breaks my heart to hear a sad dog story . Knowing how much our Border Collie is loved ... I just can't imagine.

As a puppy he always liked a warm spot. We call Comet our "close talker" (from Seinfeld) because he is in your face and always a little too close for our comfort level. The girls don't seem to mind, but it can be a little annoying for my husband and I. Really, he is a fabulous dog. He listens well and is so gentle with everyone. *We don't let Comet on furniture ... except for the playroom/schoolroom couch. There he enjoys relaxing and being read to by one of the girls. SPOILED POOCH!

I am so EMBARRASSED!