Dreaming of Cupcake...

I bet you think I am talking about the kind of cupcakes you eat, right? And you are confused as to why I have a picture of a dog at the top of this post...

Well, I am NOT talking about the kind of cupcake you eat! Cupcake is the name of the puppy I am dreaming about owning next year. Growing up, we always had dogs and sometimes cats at the same time. I have pictures of different pets I had over the years. As I thumb through my boxes of photos, I come across one sweet little face after another.

In no particular order, i'll start with the cats. There was Mussi, the blue Russian cat we had from 5th grade on and then Taffy, the very loveable Calico that Mussi brought home one day. Then we had a skinny little white cat named Pinky that used to love to sit on our kitchen bar.
When I got together with Tony, he gave me the most handsome Tuxedo cat, simply striking! I named him Bogart (after Humphrey Bogart) and he was nicknamed "Bogie". He almost had his picture in "Cats" magazine, he was so pretty! He was an indoor cat, exclusively, so he stayed clean, flea-free and fight-free, thank God! Unfortunately, once Brandon was born and became mobile, we worried that Bogie would not be tolerant of him. Bogart was extremely independent and did not like to be snuggled or messed with a lot. He had a mean streak in him that made us nervous. We found a nice single gentleman who wanted a companion cat and it was a perfect fit! I missed him terribly but loved my new son more!

Now, onto dogs. We had a beautiful Irish Setter that for some reason I can't remember the name we gave it. And when I was little, growing up, we had a gorgeous German Shepherd, salt-and-pepper colored, named Loba, which is spanish for "wolf". Later we had a yellow lab that was poisoned by our neighbor(long story) and it was my first heartbreak in the loss of a pet...then we got Charlie, during my high school years, he was a pain-in-the-butt Cocker Spaniel. Poor thing, he was ignored a lot of the time, as my brother and I were in Jr. High & High School and had no time to spend with a pet, it was all about friends, friends, friends!

Mixed in there was a rabbit when I was quite young, maybe in Kindergarten. I always wanted another bunny, so about 7 years ago, when we moved in here, Andrew wanted a bunny for Christmas. So, a friend had 2 that needed a new home, so we adopted them and "Santa" brought bunnies that year! That started a string of 4 bunnies as the white bunny outlived 2 gray ones and then a caramel-colored Lop-eared that I absolutely adored. But Snowball, the white one Andrew originally wanted, ended up being his best buddy. It was a true heartbreak when he finally died. We missed him something awful!

So, now I have been "petless" for a few years now, as far as domestic pets. We have no shortage of other critters, believe me! With 2 boys and a husband who sometimes is a "big" boy, we currently have 2 Leopard Geckos, 2 Russian Tortoises (land-type, no stinky water, thank you!) and 1 Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantula (yes! I said Tarantula!) And actually, she has become "mine", essentially, as I am the one her care has fallen to (fellow moms, I KNOW you understand how this happens to us!!!)

And though these "pets" are nice, I enjoy them tremendously, you can't snuggle them. They won't come to you when you call them. You can't take them for a walk and have them keep you company. I miss the companionship of a domestic pet. So, when Andrew started talking about having a dog some years ago (we have always rented, so it has not been an option to have a dog yet) he started researching all the different breeds and fell in love with the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Now I have always had medium to large sized dogs and was partial to getting another German Shepherd or a Lab but I have to tell you, the more I read about Corgis, the more I leaned towards one. They really grew on me but then there was the "clincher"!

A young gal in the neighborhood began walking her Corgi puppy by our house everyday on the way to the park. That dog was so darling! Andrew noticed it and we started watching for them each day. Then we went out to ask about the dog, met the girl, Jessica, and the dog, Windsor. We became friends with them and are now friends with their whole family! They live just 2 houses away around a corner from us. We had never known them but because of Windsor, we now count them amongst our friends. What a blessing!

So, I have begun a "Bring Cupcake home!" fund. All my coins are going towards saving for that puppy. I have located a breeder closeby that will be breeding this winter for puppies in the spring that will be ready to adopt next summer! Right around the time of my birthday in June, how perfect is that? So, I am dreaming of Cupcake! (I had to name her some kind of dessert, if you know me, you know why!) And I pray that everything will fall into place and I will bring Cupcake home next summer...

Blessings,
Eliana

2 Things I Tried Because of My Son...

You know how you see things in the store but you just never think to get them? Maybe because you don't want to spend a bit extra or it seems unnecessary...well, I tried 2 new things recently.

Upon my older son Brandon's recommendation I picked up Downy fabric softener. Now, I knew it existed but never bought it. I guess I thought it was a gimmicky thing, not worth spending extra money for yet another household product. Boy, was I wrong! Since we bought the bottle, my older towels have been rejuvenated and made soft again! They were becoming a bit worn and stiffer than the newer towels. I was beginning to think I would have to replace them soon. Now I don't!

The second thing I tried is Puffs tissue with Vick's in them. It is amazing! They actually are made with Vick's Vapor Rub stuff IN THE TISSUES, which kills 2 birds with 1 stone. You get tissue and at the same time you are using it, it's clearing your nasal passages. You gotta try these the next time a cold bug gets ya, as one is passing through our home as I type! You won't regret it and if you have a Target store near you, they are much better priced there.

So, that's all for now, I guess...just standard life stuff, but good to know!

Blessings,
Eliana

"Fine, thank you..."

When my friend Susan went missing, another friend and I were chatting about her. She said that every time she saw Susan and asked her how she was, she would always answer "Fine, thank you..." and smile. She said she would have never guessed that anything was wrong by the way Susan acted...

That reminds me of an email that circulates talking about how we never say how we REALLY are when asked in our daily encounters. That's a tough one because we all struggle and we figure no one wants to hear our struggles, our complaining, right? So many of us can be in the midst of something so discouraging, so sad or scary, and yet we put on a happy face for the world. A lot of us are suffering, silently, as my friend Susan was, and no one is the wiser.

That brings me to the focus of this particular blog entry. I want to encourage you all to seek out someone in your lives that you can truly confide in during difficult times. You may already have someone, you may not. Of course, you have to be sure to use your discretion, not just share with anyone casual acquaintance, because that can do more harm than good, there are many gossipy people out there, unfortunately!

However, if you can find one person, whom I refer to as a "vault", I think it would help you get through the difficult times. Someone you can open up to, who won't judge you, someone who won't give advice unless it is requested, someone who will simply listen and be there...that is truly a blessing. Maybe if Susan had had a person like that in her life, maybe if she would have opened herself up to a friend like that, maybe she would have stayed...

So, yesterday, that same friend and I were at a church participating in "Operation Christmas Child" and we encountered one another at the end of it. She asked how I was, I automatically answered, "Fine..." and then I stopped myself and said to her, "Well, we are all fine, healthwise and schoolwise, but you know, I am having a really hard time with ...." and then she said, "I know EXACTLY what you mean! We are having challenges in that area, too..." and we went on to share with one another, openly and honestly.

Our problems may not have been solved by that conversation but I think both our spirits were a little less heavy because of it. It really touched me that she felt comfortable enough with me to share that part of her life and not just give the usual "Fine, thank you." I need to write her an email and let her know!

I pray all of you may find someone in your life that can be your "vault", for those people are truly a treasure!

Blessings,
Eliana

Halloween Fun !!!

Well, it's official, I no longer have "children", I have TEENAGERS, as evidenced by the choice of costumes this year... Jigsaw, the horrible clown from a scary movie and some horrible-looking monster-ghoul thing Brandon selected for his mask! Sigh...gone are the days of Batman & Robin, Construction workers, normal clowns, Zorro....all the cute costumes of their "youth"...

And gone are the days of going trick-or-treating door-to-door(which I have to admit, I don't miss!) You know what the boys did this year? They worked in the haunted house our neighbors across the street put on each year. As Andrew put it, "Last year I was a clown, this year I am scaring the little boy dressed as a clown!" LOL ...

So, I stayed home and really enjoyed seeing all the little ones come to our door. There was this one baby girl that I just had to make my husband get up off the sofa in order to see! She was about 6 mos old and dressed head-to-toe in a little mint green & pastel pink Mermaid outfit! I should have taken a picture, she was TOO CUTE!!! (Makes me wish for a baby girl again...sigh...) But, alas, I regress!

I have another little one in my life I can enjoy seeing dress up each year...my nephew Dominick was dressed as Robin, Batman's sidekick...or a Lion... My sister-in-law picked one costume and then my brother picked Robin! I don't know which one he ended up wearing for the Harvest Party they were attending...i'll have to get a photo and see how cute he looked! I also get to see her nephews, Cole & Connor (5 yr. old twins) and their little sister Hannah (3 yrs. old) dress up each year...so I can keep my toddler fix without the added work! LOL

Well, I hope you all enjoyed your Halloweens, no matter what they entailed... Thanksgiving is next!!!

Blessings,
Eliana