It's always a good time when Cora and Luna get together to play!
They have been so hard at work in class that they needed to cut loose and have some fun!
They checked out a new place to play today, a dog park in Aberdeen, with so many neat things to do! They had so much fun! It was just free play and running! Wrestling, chasing, rolling in the dirt and climbing on the cool structures. It was just the place to bring huge smiles to their faces!
It is going to be a beautiful Saturday!
The weather is finally feeling like fall. After the rain on Thursday, the humidity is finally gone and the air is fresh! The days are warm and it is just perfect for being outside. This is a picture that I took down at the church the other night. It was a beautiful full moon, but my picture wasn't very clear.
Wednesday was Lilly's birthday! She is 14! We got together and had a lot of fun decorating her cake with fondant and sprinkles. We made Korean Beef Bowls for dinner and I gave her her presents.
Yesterday I took Cora over to the Ma and Pa trail for a little walk and then we went to Ross' to look for pants for me. Didn't find any, but Cora did very well in the sling and so it was a good training experience anyway. She is also enjoying the nice weather! The backyard is serving up all kinds of smells and fun. She had been starting to dig but I am hopeful that we have nipped that in the bud. She smells what the squirrels bury in the yard and she is always digging up nuts and things. She is very determined. She is also getting to be a really good walking partner! She is able to keep up and mostly keep her head in the game. She doesn't run off to the side of the walk nearly as often, and I am hopeful that she will just settle down and move along within the next few months. I want her to get in good condition so that she can go on my regular walks with me. She should be able to go at least 3 to 4 miles with no problem when she is fully grown. We weighed her again last night at the puppy class and she is now an even 7 pounds. She will probably top out at around 8. She is so smart and she is learning all her lessons very quickly. I have to say that I am not exactly insisting on the same behaviors that they are focusing on, but all of what I do teach her she is getting very well. I need to teach her to wait and listen for the next cue. Just need to do more intensive training now that she is older and is getting the basics down.
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| Six months old and 7 pounds! |
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| Cooper |
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| Chloe |
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| Luna and Cora |
We had a good class on Thursday night. "Creed" is a wonderful study!! I am so happy with our table! The Holy Spirit always gives us so many great surprises when He puts a group together!
This is going to be a busy day so I need to get to it! I will try to be better about taking a few pictures every day. God is so good! I need to be better about sharing His blessings!
Lilly and Ivy are burning up the ring!!
So proud of these two! They have come so far and overcome some stiff challenges. That horse has been through a lot, and she is carrying some heavy baggage. Lilly has a bit of baggage of her own, but the two of them together are really making progress. They trust each other. That's huge.
In other news, Max has been diagnosed with Covid, but the other kids are all fine after the first round of testing. They are staying home from school for the rest of the week though.
We had a very good Social Graces meeting today! It is coming along. The girls are really cooperating and they seem to be getting a lot out of it. We wanted to watch Anne of Green Gables, but the Roku wouldn't cooperate, so next week I guess.
We had a good small group meeting last night, and now we are heading out to a meeting for marriage ministry. Lots of that going on!!
Well, the week did turn out to be one for the books, however this week is looking like it will be even busier!
So the Ravens lost, in overtime, to the Raiders. It was an emotional game, that's for sure. I have a lot of options for games to watch, but also a lot of other stuff going on!
I had my girls group meeting and I was pretty happy with the way that it went. The girls were engaged and seemed to be getting something out of it. This week I will be making cupcakes because Lilly's birthday is the next day.
We had our Revelation study on Wednesday night and it was just great. We are all really enjoying this book of the bible! So much to dig into and so beautiful!
Thursday night we went to the first session of the Creed study down at the church. It is the newest study by Bishop Barron and it is so good! We have a great table of people!
Friday I went down to see Fr Henry, and help him purge books. We do this every year. He has so much great material. I really enjoy reading what I get from him, and passing along so much good stuff!!
Saturday I did my TOB presentation to the girls in the Confirmation class, well some of them. There were supposed to be 9, and 6 of them were opted out by their parents. I was down to three and when I got there it looked like I was going to lose another one, but I talked to her dad and she stayed. I think that the talk itself went OK, but I was a bit flustered by the change in plans. I just want to reach as many people as possible with the beauty of this teaching, but it's a tough thing to share in these times.
Laura sent a text to say that Max has Covid, so all the kids will be staying home for the next ten days. It sounds like, for Max at least, it's a pretty simple case. I hope the rest of them can avoid it. Andrew, Laura, Lucy and Molly are all vaccinated, so that is a good thing.
We did a lot of yard work this weekend. The weather is finally cooling a bit and it's actually nice to work outside. I hope to get more done this week.
Cora and I attended another puppy class. Cora is such a good puppy, but we are the odd pair out. We have a different way of doing most everything, but the important thing is that Cora is learning and she is doing everything that she can to become a civilized member of the family. I am very happy with her progress. We are going to head up to Ohio at the end of the month to see Paul at school. It will be her first road trip. We may end up going to Florida at the end of the month, for a week, which might just blow her tiny puppy mind.
As far as this week goes, the Ravens are playing Kansas City right now and at least kind of holding their own.
Tomorrow I have Bible Study in the morning after mass and then Adoration at 3:00. At 6:30 we have Benediction and then I have a small group meeting after that. So, that's Monday.
And so it goes. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous though! I'll try to get some pictures this week!
It's Monday again! September is really kicking in with all the events, meetings, studies, and various other commitments that were on a break over the summer.
I am sticking close to the calendar so that I don't forget anything.
We are starting our Romans bible study up again, and today was supposed to be the first day, but several people had last minute problems so we are starting next week. I was able to make good use of the time, however, and I got my homework done for Revelation and the next Social Graces girls meeting. Win!
I have Adoration in a bit and then I will come home and make a quick dinner and get back down to the church for a meeting and then Benediction.
After that it's the Raven's first game of the regular season.
Yeah! What a great one so far! The weather is just gorgeous!
Yesterday we had a nice day at home and I finished my presentation! I am glad to have that done so that it can be printed early in the week.
Cora went to her second puppy class and I have to say, it wasn't stellar. Cora was very good and tried very hard, but there is just way too much going on. They were trying to teach walking on the leash which Cora does very well under almost any circumstances, but the store aisles are just too much. The one that they put us in had the refrigerator for the dog food, and something on the floor at the end that had her slipping really bad. The ends of all the aisles are filthy, because dogs are walking through there all the time and lifting their legs. There was also a dog in the store somewhere that was barking viciously and it had all the dogs upset. Cora did her best, but I was so glad to get out tonight and go down to the promenade and walk our little route. She was very happy to be out in the fresh air!
I attended the annual Respect Life Workshop for the Baltimore Archdiocese today down in Ellicott City. What a nice program they put on! I am energized to begin putting together ways to connect our parish with the greater regional group in order to be of service to moms in need. There are some wonderful people that are working very hard to support us in our efforts.
Tim was home with Cora all day, When I got home we did our practice and then went for our walk. While we were walking we saw a wedding happening down at the lighthouse. It was a beautiful evening for it!
Today, in the Church we celebrate the birth of our Dear Blessed Mother, Mary. She is so, so good to us! Mass this morning was wonderful! I got this wonderful icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and I will have it blessed at Benediction on Monday.
It has been very nice out weather-wise for the last few days. We had fires in the pit two evenings over the weekend. The bugs are still out there, but they don't like the smoke very much. We worked on getting the woodpile cleaned up and burned a lot of the junk wood. Tim also put a new tarp over the pile and set it up so that it won't collect water anymore. That should help with the mosquitoes.
We also got a new grill and it was nice to use it for our Labor Day dinner. I grilled chicken and the grill is very nice! I shopped yesterday at Weis, and there was steak on sale for about half price! We don't often eat steak, so it will be a treat. I can't believe that it's Fall already. The days are getting shorter and the evenings are cool. It's really nice out, but I know the cold is coming. It's time to get out the Fall decorations.
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Yesterday we had our first "Social Graces" meeting. I think that it went well. We had six girls and they seemed to enjoy it. They were engaged and interested. Lilly was a great contributor! We will meet again next Tuesday, so I am working on the aspects of the message that I want to get across to them.
Cora and I have taken a walk each night and she is getting better and better at sticking to the task at hand. She is learning to stay on the sidewalk and to be a good citizen, with no approaching people and certainly no barking. She seems to be unbothered by loud noises, dogs and strange sights. I am really happy with her progress.
Today I am heading out to shop and then come back home to work on my presentations. Cora is going to have to do some crate-time. I'll get her a surprise to make up for it.
The leaves are falling off the Weeping Cherry fast and furious, and Cora got a taste of leaf raking this morning. She about lost her mind. I remember Maggie tearing around the yard with glee when I'd rake, and running through and rolling in all the piles. She did that last year! She didn't run as fast, but she still enjoyed rolling in the leaves. Cora is experiencing everything for the first time and it is so much fun!
She had "company" this morning. Comet and Luna came over to play and man, did they run!! I guess Cora has a lot more stamina than I give her credit for. I can probably walk this kid a lot further than I do. She sure does have a ton of energy! She has been losing teeth so I am hopeful that soon she will also lose the inclination to chew on everything. Old books and antique decoys are NOT chew toys! Have to watch her every second. We have our first "puppy class" tonight, so that should be interesting.
Yesterday was Finny's surgery, and so Nina is busy playing nurse. Lilly has been staying down there as well. Interesting start to the school year. I am ready whenever she is. I am going to make them a meal tomorrow and deliver it after Mass or maybe before Confession. We have to go to Mass tomorrow night at any rate.
I need to get to BJs sometime this weekend. I need to prepare for a directee on Sunday too.
I am reading a really excellent book by Archbishop Chaput. It's called "Strangers in a Strange Land- Living the Christian Faith in a Post-Christian World" I have been reading lots of things along those lines lately. It's not a discouraging book at all, just a guide for navigating the times that we find ourselves in.
Tim is mowing the yard and then we may pop down to First Fridays before the class, we'll see how much energy he has. Probably not going to be a relaxing weekend....
