Sunshine and puppy nose prints...

I must have finally hinted about wanting a storm door long enough, that my strong silent mysterious man heard me, or got tired of hearing me. And he surprised me with one for Christmas. He had it all installed and ready by the time I got home from the holidays.

It is one of my most favorite things!

This week, even though we are still having freezing temperatures, the sun comes out. And I can open my front door and feel the warmth from the sun coming into my front room. The dogs really really love it.

It's a little work trying to keep it clean from all the puppy nose prints, but so worth it!

I ran out to a meeting yesterday and the teenager was home with the puppies, and I came home to see this as I walked up to the front door. So sweet they were all waiting for me to return.

They really love being able to guard the house from the front now too!
They scare off any kitties neighborhood dogs or leaves, just about anything trying to attack us from the front. And when they are not guarding they really enjoy laying and soaking up the sun that shines in now.

A bunch of hound dogs, but I love them, and my new storm door... thanks sweetie!

The Pack, and trials that strengthen me/us...

We went to support my strong silent mysterious man at his 1st pack meeting in his new calling last night.

He welcomed a cub over into scouting as he earned his arrow of light. That is one of my favorite ceremonies! The teenager still has his cool arrow hanging in his room... one of the few things he kept out from his cub days. It is so symbolic!

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It was kind of fun to re-visit our cub scouts days of the teenager, we had so many fond memories. And during the time I was a single Mom sooooo many really great people helped him along his scouting path. Wow! What blessings to reflect back on; that warmed my heart. It was a good warming because after getting the mail today and finding out the teenager was struggling terribly this past quarter in school and I had no idea.... I felt pulled in many directions inside.

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So many emotions, first I wanted to throttle him, next I was confused why we get hit at the end when it's too late to do anything about it, and why it was such a surprise? And then I am flooded with guilt, that I wasn't being a good parent, that I didn't know, that I didn't teach him well enough to know how to ask for help, or turn to us when he was struggling, instead hiding it, being deceitful all quarter, doing everything to make us think everything was going along just fine.

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Then all night I couldn't sleep, trying to figure out what went wrong, how could I do better. What was this a sign of... just lazy bones, or something worse, something more serious?

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Parenting is the very hardest job I have ever done. The one I feel least qualified for. The one that requires me to stretch the most, and educate myself to achieve higher levels. It is not easy, but I am so proud of my teenager. When I was reflecting at pack meeting, he really has come so far, he has overcome many challenges and trials, and he is becoming a wonderful man. I am so grateful God in trusted me with this job of being his parent. Some days I wish we could go back to the cub days when he was small... and other days, I am grateful for these challenges to help me/us grow.

SPT ~ I resolve to take more self-portraits doing things i love

This morning I was scheduled to attend a board meeting for one of my clients, so I needed the car and took the teenager to school. It was pretty early to head to my meeting, but not enough time to come all the way back home.

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So I analyzed all my errands and found one I could take care of at such an early hour of the morning. There is a special someone in my family (I don't think he reads my blog... if he does, well the surprise is up) with a birthday coming up this week and I wanted to get a Starbucks gift in his card before I put it in the mail today.

Starbucks is up early... good plan!

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I don't drink coffee anymore, so I don't frequent Starbucks even though they do have plenty of really yummy non-coffee drinks. I don't know, I guess it is that whole appearance thing... if you don't drink, but someone catches you buying alcohol, what does that look like? Maybe I think too much about these things. But even when I did work in downtown Seattle in the heart of Starbucks country, it was just a special treat to indulge in one of their yummy drinks on occasion.

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And since Idaho isn't really a target area for them, it is even less often a treat for me here... less than once a year probably. But I do love their hot chocolate, oh I forget just how much I love their hot chocolate.

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This morning I tried something new (so this spt covers my portrait trying new things that I missed last week, and things I love all in one shot... nice) a white chocolate hot cocoa with a shot of Cinnamon Dulce! So yummy, not on my diet, but it was recommended, and I have been really good. I have to say we have one of the nicest Starbucks I have ever been in, and the employees were over the top amazing!

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I love sending small and simple treats to loved ones, and I love that today it gave me the opportunity to give myself a little treat too!

Solid as a Rock...

Before I left my Mom's she gave me this rock, with my word of the year engraved in it.

So perfect, I love rocks, and with MY WORD, perfect!!!

I thought she had gone to great lengths... where does she find the time to carry out all these special thoughts? Then I found out she had it in her waterfall for years, and wanted me to have it.

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It was so sweet! I love it, and I am reminded as I get frustrated with my teenager and try to help him understand, that experience and knowledge is a valuable tool I have for him to tap into, and I have been where he has been... so too has my mom, she has been where I am now and wanted to learn for herself how to cherish the moments in her life, and found it important enough to have a rock to remind her.

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In so many ways she is my Rock!

Thanks Mom!