siobhan is coming too!

I just found out today that Siobhan is coming, too! Siobhan (that's pronounced "Shuh-VAHN", isn't that the most exotic thing?) is my husband's assistant who's become a good friend in the years since she joined C&A, I think she's been with him for 4 or 5 years. It will be good to have her around in case he decides to spend all his time at the bar or something ... we can hang out & watch movies or something ... I wish I had a picture to post of her, she has the most gorgeous naturally curly naturally blonde hair you ever saw in your life!

We leave this Friday, driving up to be there in time for dinner! I already know all the clothes I'm going to bring. The only sad part is I have to leave Simba at home. Clarissa, our housekeeper, has agreed to stay at the house all weekend so he won't be too lonely. I'm going to call him and talk to him on the phone too so he won't miss me so much!

Our little Simba!!

Here's a picture of our little Pom showdog, Simba, standing outside our vacation home in New Hampshire's Lakes region. Isn't he just a little beauty?

Do dogs really smile? Our Simba does!


coming for a treat


waiting to come in

sitting on the snow ... good thing he's all furry "back there"!

planning ahead

OK, so last time I told you about our trip to snowy Vermont and how I was going to go look up the place where we're going to be staying, well, I did, and it's the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont, isn't that a nice name, the resort, I mean, although Fairlee does sound like a nice name for a city, too, doesn't it? So of course I looked at the pictures of the rooms, which look nice enough and I bet the views are really nice, and of course I checked out the dining options because we're so used to having really, really good food since we're so close to The City (I always thinks of that in capital letters, don't you?) and wow, the menus sound really good and they're price fixe which means you pick an appetizer and a salad and an entre and no matter which ones you choose they charge you the same as anyone else, which takes the pressure off a bit because I always look at the prices and try not to choose the most expensive thing even when it's my favorite but now I don't have to do that! Isn't that super?

So then I started to think about what to wear, because I figured it would probably be really cold up there even in March but then I don't know how much time we'll be spending outside really, I mean, it's not like we're winter sports fans or anything and I don't know if there's any place to go shopping so it's possible we'll just spend the entire weekend inside the resort, so I figured one fabulous new coat would probably do the trick so I went to L&Ts and found a really great coat with a fur collar & cuffs, and it's nice and warm, it's just perfect! And then I decided I wouldn't bother with any other new clothes, I'll just dress low-key in slacks and jackets that I already have, after all it's just a weekend, no need to get all dressed up, and the older I get the less I want to do a lot of packing so I'll do the mix & match thing, you know what I mean?

You probably think I'm really silly for getting all wrapped around a tree about a little weekend away, but the truth is it's been a while since we went away anywhere together so it's really pretty exciting for me to think ahead to this nice time together. We're going to drive up and meet Mike at the resort, that's probably a really long drive and I suppose that could be a bit of a drag but then again maybe not, maybe we'll be like we were when we first got together and just talk our heads off about nothing and hold hands and stuff, wouldn't that be nice?

P.S. I just found this site on the internet where they tell you the average temperatures for places and it look like Vermont in March is an average of 38 in the daytime and 20 at night. That's cold, but not any colder than NJ in January so I think we'll be just fine, don't you?

for your Valnetine Bubbles dear

you thought I'd forget, didn't you? Bubbles, your everything to me, you know that don't ya? Who takes care of hyou like Paddy? You thoughtI didn't notice how much that little Simba means to you? Poor little thing--- I seen how he mops around with no one special in his life... I mean no one when your not around... not like me with my beautiful Bubbles... so here's somethign special for you and your little Simba. Her name is Duchess. A real champion and all heart, just like me whenever I think of you, my one and only. Thought about some diamonds, but jeez Bubbles, you got so many, and I know how much you love dogs. So happy Valentines day sugar. I'll be working a little late tonight, so Moses G.'s gonna drop off Duchess after work, give you and Simba some time to get acuainted with her. Love ya to pieces, babe!

Interesting News!!

I was out front with Simba yesterday looking at the new perennial beds we had planted in the driveway circle (look down below to see it from last summer) and wondering whether anything might be peeking up already (I know it's way too early but I just can't wait!) when I heard the phone in the house ring which is fine to be outside when that happens because after 4 rings it forwards to my cell phone which I am never without, you never know when an emergency might happen like Paddy realizing he might not have any Guinness in the fridge and goodness knows I have to able to respond quickly to something like that or else! So anyway, when the call came to my cellphone I picked it up and at first I thought it was Paddy putting me on with an Irish accent because he does that sometimes when he's feeling funny and other than the accent the voice sounded just like him but you'll never guess what? It was HIS BROTHER MIKE CALLING FROM IRELAND! Oh my gosh, in all the years we've been together Paddy and Mike have never talked and I think not for a long time before that so you can imagine I was pretty curious about why all of a sudden. But I contained my curiosity and said how nice it was to hear from him and Paddy wasn't at home and could I take a message for him, and Mike said to ask Paddy to call him back so when he got home he did (well actually he didn't do it right away because he said it was too late to call in Ireland even though Mike said to tell him that didn't matter so maybe he just wanted to think a little bit before calling him back or something, I couldn't tell if he was happy about the call, you can't always tell with Paddy and it's no use asking him because he really doesn't like you to ask him how he's feeling, I don't even want to repeat the sorts of language you hear when you ask him stuff like that! But he called him in the morning from his office (I was hoping he'd call from home so I could hear the conversation and Paddy if you're reading this, this is my blog and I get to say what I want on it so if you don't like it then just stop reading right now, but I love you to pieces anyway love!) and all I know is, next month we're meeting him up in Vermont for a weekend! Imagine, almost eight years with Paddy and I finally get to meet someone in his family, I'm a little nervous but I know I shouldn't be and I'm sure I won't be by the time we get there and Mike, if you're reading this, I'm very excited to get to meet you! So now I have to go look up the place where we're going to be staying and start thinking about what to pack for Vermont in March, what fun, it's been a while since we took a trip!

P.S. This is a picture of me and Simba out front of the house, but not yesterday, yesterday was cold! The picture is from last summer. Isn't he just a little love, he loves when I carry him around although he's not crazy about having his picture taken and Paddy didn't want to take lots of pictures to get a good one of Simba so this is the best we could do.

One year later, house update!!

So, it's been a year since Paddy bought me my house, and I still think it's just the best. I did paint the family room a better color (kind of a dark green, with white trim around the windows and doors) and added some nice wooden bookcases in sort of an oak color so it looks very cozy and warm and a little bit distinguished, if I do say so myself. It's my favorite room to take pictures of Simba in because it's almost like he's color-coordinated with the room, all those warm colors.

Paddy's tried several times to figure out how to sneak that nasty pool table of his back upstairs into his study but he's at a disadvantage because I spend all my time at the house and he doesn't so he can't figure out a way to sneak it past me without sending me on a trip to Europe or something and so far I guess he hasn't figured out that would be what it takes as long as he buys a ticket for Simba too! That thing reeks of cigar smoke and spilt beer and it has no place in the civilized part of the house, he can just go down in that basement where it doesn't matter what he and his noisy cronies do, at least they won't make the rest of the house smell bad.

This past summer we hired a landscaper to put in some new perennial beds because what's the use of having all that grass, it's just green and needs to be cut all the time but with perennials you plant the flowers and hire someone to come pull the weeds once a week and it's all colorful all the time, especially if you plant some nice annual flowers in between like zinnias and geraniums and marigolds which also help with the bugs and just bloom all the time so that's what I'm planning to do if springtime ever comes again. When everything's all nice and flowery I'll post some pictures of OUR flowers but for now these ones that I found on the internet will have to do.

Our House!

It's Valentine's Day, and I love you to pieces my Paddy-love for buying me the house of my dreams! xoxoxo

(if you're just visiting, go down one article to see the beginning of the story of Our House!)

The back of the house.

The pool

The sunroom. I am so happy in this room!

The family room (these colors have to change, and that's not our dog!)

Paddy's study

The dining room. Love the fireplace!