We had two Siamese cats when I was growing up, Beth and Susie.  I remember that every Christmas, we would hang a stocking for them and fill it with treats and toys.  Of course, they didn’t care if they got presents or a stocking at all, but it was fun for us – it was how we, in our human way, could show them they are a part of our family. We hadn’t even had Sebastian a week before I thought, we need to get him a stocking!  Our stockings were custom-made and gifted to us by a very sweet blog reader of mine, so I asked if she would make a matching stocking for Sebastian.  Kim is her name and she made one for him!  I should get it in the mail next week. So, now I’m thinking about goodies I can fill it with! He has loved the PEDIGREE® DENTASTIX™

My regular readers have come to know and love Sebastian, the Border Collie-Australian Shepherd mix dog who became the newest member of the Parsons’ family this fall. He has become my little shadow and we all love him so much.  He’s sweet, well behaved, playful, and brings such warmth to our home.  I’ve learned a lot about caring for a dog and specifically for Sebastian – learning his likes and dislikes and what makes his whole body wag with excitement.  (A simple tail wag just isn’t always adequate in Sebastian’s estimation.) With the holidays coming up, we’ve been trying to find the perfect stocking stuffer to make his first Christmas as part of our family special.  As is true with most dogs, he seems to loves almost any treat and, as is also true with most dogs, he has doggie breath.  It’s not bowl-you-over bad, like my eight-year-old’s socks, but it’s perceptible.  So,

This past week, Jeff gave me an amazing gift.  Something that I haven’t had in over nine years…  Three days and two nights with the house all to myself.  High fives all around to moms who know what an amazingly awesome thing that is. I had an internal Macaulay Culkin moment where I jumped on all of the beds eating popcorn and ran through the house screaming.  (It was internal, because I didn’t want to spend my precious free time cleaning up popcorn.) I originally had a line of projects ready to work on…trim work in the upstairs bathroom, cleaning out the attic eaves, organizing and purging closets and drawers, but Jeff encouraged me to take the time to relax.  I felt like I needed to make the time really worth it, but he convinced me that I’m productive enough and a little staycation was well earned. I slept late,

I usually post six days a week.  That’s just what I do as a part of my job.  And usually I have an abundance of things to talk about. Well, tonight, I opened my computer and sat in front of a blank page for about 45 minutes.  Hoping to find a spark of inspiration, I scrolled through old pictures.  I browsed Pinterest.  I looked through my old post drafts and my e-mail reminders to myself about things to post when I don’t know what to post. Jeff came into the room and asked if I was done with my post. “Nope.  I haven’t even started, yet.  I’ve got nothin’ today.” He laughed.  “Well, that’s what you should write.” So, I’ve got nothin’. Ever had a day like that? Well, actually, I do have one thing.  The next round of items will go live in the online shop tomorrow (Friday) night