To the Mailbox

Hello, lovely readers!  Due to the large amount of rain in our area recently, my family had not picked up our mail in a few days.

Consequently, after lunch, I went to get it.  Chrissa would  have, but she was working on a birthday gift for our cousin, Liberty, whose birthday is on Wednesday.

I hooked up Sugar's leash so she could come along.  Her little legs needed the exercise!

I turned the nob, and we went out the door.

All that rain left the grass quite lush and green.

After a semi-short walk, I arrived at the mailbox ...

... and emptied it of it's contents.  Upon returning home, I unclasped Sugar's leash and sifted through the mail.  To my excitement, I found a letter addressed to me, as well as one for my sister.

"Chrissa!" I called upstairs. "Please come down!"

"Why?" she replied, curious.

"There's a letter for you from Kit P!"

"Okay; I'll be down in a sec!"

While I was waiting, I open the cute, colorful envelope.

And read the letter from my North Carolina pen pal, Kit P. (Chrissa and I call her that so as not to confuse her with our cousin Kit.)

"Where's my card?" Chrissa wanted to know when she arrived downstairs.

"On the counter." I said, gesturing to the kitchen.

"Thanks!" she replied, grabbing it and running back upstairs.  I finished reading my card, and look forward to writing a reply.

Do you like receiving or sending letters better?

Sweet as Sugar: a Photo Shoot

Hello, lovely readers!  Even thought her birthday was almost a week ago, Chrissa still had not opened the gifts from her cousins.  So, she did so after lunch.

The first gift she chose to open was from Liberty, and contained a helpful book entitled "101 Things To Do on a Rainy Day".  Secondly, my sister unwrapped American Girl doll clothes from Marie-Grace.  The last gift was from the whole Gardener family, and contained the movie ...

"Frozen!" Chrissa exclaimed, wildly jumping up and down. "I have been wanting this forever!  Yay!  I'm going to go watch it right now.  Do you want to watch it with me, Elizabeth?"

"Er- not right now." I replied, looking down at my dog. "I need to take Sugar to the park for a little exercise."

"Oh, okay.  You can join me when you get back, if you want."

"Thank you."  With that, Sugar and I walked over to the park.

"Sugar, are you ready to play?" I asked the puppy, lifting her up in the air.

She barked and wagged her tail in return.

I sat down with the puppy on the towel I brought.  Throwing her favorite ball into the air, I told Sugar to "fetch".

Quickly, the tiny dog jumped out of my lap to retrieve her ball.

"Good girl, Sugar." I praised when she returned, and stroked her on the back.

Lifting her into my arms, I told her that her name was a perfect fit, because she is so sweet.

Do you have a sweet pet?

A Walk and a Photo Shoot

 Hello, lovely readers!  This chilly afternoon, Chrissa and I bundled up and took our dogs, Chocolate Chip and Sugar, on a walk around the neighborhood.

 What do you think of Chrissa's new, orange sweater?  Mother made it for her.

 We chatted as we walked, enjoying the nippy weather.

 Even our dogs donned their coats, which I made, against the cold.

 "I can't wait for it to snow!" my impatient sister exclaimed. "I really want a white Christmas.  And I can't wait to see Libby and Marie!  It's been ages since I last saw them."

"Very true." I agreed, smiling at the thought.

"Okay, we're back at Nana's house.  I'm going to run inside and sit by the fireplace." Chrissa said.  "What about you?"

"Because the lighting is perfect, I think I will take Caroline and Beth out here for a photo shoot."  I did just that.

 Caroline is a beautiful doll.

 Her curly blond hair, her aquamarine eyes...

 ... and her gorgeous, soft, pink dress.  I am very happy with her.

 She and Beth actually look rather similar.

 Beth forgot her shoes!

 The slowly setting sun created a lovely halo in their hair.

 I think this is my favorite picture of my new doll.

What do you think of Caroline?

Our Sweet Pets

 Hello, lovely readers!  One of the many things Chrissa and I are thankful for are our two playful pets, Sugar and Chocolate Chip. 

 This is my dog, Sugar.  She is a Yorkshire Terrier (or "Yorkie"), and I love her so very much!  Because it is easily tangled, I bush her soft fur every morning.  She has a gentle spirit, and is quite a cutie!

 Chrissa's dog, Chocolate Chip, is a Chocolate Lab puppy.  She is extraordinarily energetic, always ready for a walk.  Because of this, Chocolate Chip brings loads of energy into our house.

Below are pictures of both of them that I snapped this morning, first Sugar then Chocolate Chip.

 Look at her cute little nose!

 High and mighty Chocolate Chip (silly puppy).

 Chrissa and I are so thankful for our adorable, loyal, furry puppies!

Do you have any pets?

A Salty Flashback: Sugar

 Well, it's the last day of our Dog Week.  Chrissa and I have had so much fun posting about our dogs, and no doubt Sugar and Chocolate Chip have loved the attention!  My final post is, as promised, the first ever Salty Flashback.  How did we get this whole flashback thing anyway?  I'll explain...

 Last week, I was cleaning out our closet.  On the very bottom shelf  I found a forgotten box.

"I thought I'd lost this forever!" I said excitedly.  "Sugar!"  My sweet dog came running.  She cocked her head as if to say, "Yes? What is it?"

 "Do you remember these?"  I asked Sugar, taking a tiny doggie coat out of the box.  She gave an excited yap as if to say yes.

 "All your old dog coats that Nana sewed for you!"

 "Hmm... I wonder if I have any pictures of you in these little coats." I said, more to myself than Sugar.  As it turns out, I did.  You can see them below.

In a teapot...

 On a shelf...

 

  ... Even in the Landry basket!

Which picture do you like the best?  My personal favorite is this one in our pink Landry tub.

 My puppy is all grown up now, but she's just as loveable as ever.

 P.S. TODAY is the LAST DAY to enter our contest!