Happy Birthday, Sandman!
Yesterday was Sandy's 13th birthday. I don't know his actual date of birth. But the day I chose him as my foster dog was April 1, 1996 and they estimated him to be about one year old then. Yes, I said foster dog. But, after I'd had him for two months, I decided there was no way that I could part with him and he became my forever dog.

He's my special boy b/c we've been through a lot together: a long bad relationship, 2 cross-country moves, college and graduate school, seizures and urine-leaking (him, not me!). He was the ring bearer in my wedding almost 3 years ago. Of all my fur-kids, he is my shadow. He's always with me at home and during the summer when I have craft booths, he's my assistant (in addition to my hubby). He's excellent at drawing in customers and loves feeling special b/c his two dog brothers don't get to come!

Happy Birthday, Roo Roo!
Not only is it St Patrick's day today, but it's also Roo's 13th birthday! He's the only one of my 7 children whose exact birthday I know. I know his b/c he was born on my living room floor! I can't believe it's been 13 years since he was born. I'm feeling old today! We've been through a lot together, including 2 cross-country moves.
When I was in college, I lived in an apartment complex in California where there were tons of homeless (unspayed and unneutered) cats. After adopting one (Magritte), I decided to take in another: a very sweet manx tuxedo cat I named Sylvester. When I took Sylvester to the vet to be "fixed," I had to rename the cat Sylvia!!! And, she was already pregnant. So, I ended up keeping Sylvia and one of her sons, Roo. My beloved girl, Sylvia, passed away from kidney failure 7 years ago. But, I'm so fortunate to still have her special boy, Roo.

Happy Birthday, Baby Bear!
On Thursday Teddy (a.k.a, Theodore, Teddy Bear, Baby Bear) turned 8 years old! I never thought my asthmatic baby (who has almost died multiple times) would make it to being a "senior"!

Some of my favorite creations paired with one of my favorite songs!

I thought I was Oscar!
Thank you to Frosty for pointing me to the Sesame Street Personality Quiz. Oscar the grouch has always been my favorite character. And sometimes (especially during my chronic headaches), I can be grumpy. So, I totally thought the test would tell me that I'm Oscar. But, surprise- it said I'm Bert! I actually can see that in some ways, but the really freaky thing is that it said that one of my passions is bottle caps!!!

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you lovable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you live your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

No Pain, No Gain
A while back I mentioned that I'm taking a Fitball class. I had never heard of it before, and I think most people haven't. So, I'll try to describe it. You use a small inflated ball like this:
to improve your flexibility and strength. The balls are firm, but flexible. Physical therapists and personal trainers user them for warming up muscles prior to working out. It's a form of self-administered acupressure; the ball and your own body weight exert pressure on specific points on your body. It works really well on upper legs. Sometimes it's also called "self-message," but I refrain from referring to it that way b/c it might evoke other ideas!

I chose to try the class b/c it's supposed to help you ease tension in your body. I was/am hoping it will help reduce the frequency of my headaches. So far Mom and I have attended all 3 of the weekly classes. We have 4 more classes left. I plan on buying a fitball (they provide them in class) so that I can do it at home too.

Poor Ruthie
Please send positive vibes, prayers, etc to my sister's St. Bernard, Ruthie. She's recovering from pancreatitis. After a week in and out of the hospital, she's finally doing better and it seems that she'll be ok. Not an easy thing for a senior citizen dog to do!