400th Post!!!!!!!!!!

If pictures of our pets isn't really your thing, you may want to skip reading the blog for a few days (weeks? months?). It's the easiest way for David to see pictures from the road. And really...how could I resist taking pictures of this?

Think someone has a new best friend?

Yesterday Riley met Emma. He was worn out from helping me with cleaning out flower pots, so he didn't play a lot, but he was pretty interested in her. Christina came and played this afternoon and now a tired puppy is sleeping at my feet. If you're worried about the kitties, they're adjusting well. Gracie is in her favorite place (my lap) as I type, and Hen is sleeping in her cuddly new kitty bed.

Punkin Head

Our New Addition

Since the end of July, we've been able to sleep through the night without having to let a dog out. We haven't had to buy dog food. Our backyard is poo-free. But something has been missing. Something that only a dog can provide. So....here's Riley!His Grammy suggested his name. We tried all different names, but that just seemed to fit him best. He is hard to get a picture of! Always on the move.

On the move, until he isn't. He fell asleep on David during a belly rub. Isn't he something!? It's been a while since we've had a puppy. He is so funny to watch.
Amazingly enough, the cats seem to be adjusting fairly well and fairly quickly. Maybe they'll all be friends! Nah...

We're (Wal)Nuts About Fall!

Having a large mature shade tree is great. But why do they always have to be gumball trees or walnut trees? We spent yesterday morning on hands and knees picking up walnuts from the yard. It has been a great year for walnut crops! At least Amos the Amur Maple is a more cooperative tree. No offensive fruits and a very pretty shade of red for fall.What better way to spend a cool fall evening than with a campfire and friends? We didn't camp this fall, so we did the next best (and maybe better!) thing with a campfire at Krista's. She recently bought her dream car - an El Camino. And no, I'm not kidding about it being her dream car. She's been talking about getting one as long as I've known her. It's...it's...well, it's just beyond words. David fired it up during his tour and one of the kids in the backyard wanted to know whose motorcycle it was. :)

I love Krista's decorating style. Her backyard looks like it's straight from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. And the table for our little wienie roast was SO cute! Here's a sample:

And now I'm off to enjoy Silver Dollar City with Christina on another lovely fall day! :)

Saturday Afternoon

Saturday afternoon was perfect football watching weather - crisp and perfectly blue. I don't know a thing about football, but it was fun to go. The marching bands at half time were my favorite. It just amazes me how they all know just what to do. I'd be the one turning the wrong way at the wrong time and tripping everyone, so it's best if I just observe. :)

Goodbye Blue Cave

Our kitchen is small, but the thing that makes it workable is the pantry. It has great storage, but it was not blessed with a great color. The walls and even the ceiling in the little pantry were painted a dark blue. With a single light bulb illuminating it, things in the corners became lost in the shadows. Over labor day weekend, I took leave of my senses and thought it would be a good idea to pain the pantry.

I hauled the contents out onto the dining room table and kitchen counters and got to work. I quickly slapped some paint on the walls so that I'd have to commit. Four coats of off-white paint covered the ceiling and 3 coats of wicker on the shelf walls and 2 coats of oatmeal on the big wall finally covered all the dark blue. I'm so glad that I finally got around to doing that. It's so much lighter now and doesn't feel quite so cave-like!

Let There Be Light!

I think I've told you before about my affinity for changing out the light fixtures in our house. Most of the lights in our house have been replaced by my dear handy hubby. Only a few sconces remain. The only reason they're still there is that I hadn't found suitable replacements at Lowes. Silly me - I'd been neglecting all the lighting options out there on the web! For my birthday, I receive these two beauties. They arrived today and I really like them! Gracie - well, she likes the box they arrived in.