Sunshine, sales, and puppy dog tails!

I now realize that I took mother nature for granted when I lived in California. Here in Alaska, the sunshine is definitely not a force to be taken lightly. We spend months on end without receiving much of it at all, but then are blessed with long summer days where the sun decides to rest well after we do. Fortunate for us, the weekends have been fairly nice…despite the unpleasant weekdays. I’m not sure what is it about the fresh air and the nature scene, but being in the beautiful outdoors always seems to make me happier and more relaxed. Whether you’re sitting on the grass reading a book, hiking a mountain, or just exploring some trails, GET YOURSELF A DOSE OF NATURE! It definitely does the body good.

Our little family loves to hike. Plain and simple. When the weather is nice we usually pack up the bags, grab the dogs (and a gun!) and hit the trails! I’m so thrilled that Lucas enjoys being dragged along on our journeys….we all know how an unhappy toddler can ruin the fun. It’s amazing to see his excitement when exploring the great outdoors! Children are amused by the tiniest of things, and it truly does make a simple task more enjoyable to see their curiosity blossom. Lucas is our little nature explorer in the making!

I am an absolute bargain shopper, just like my grandmother, and a sale almost always gets my attention. I have found myself in Michael's three times in the past few days because I just have to use my coupons!! But I’m happy to say that I found myself a new hobby…making picture frames! I’ve been using all my scrapbook papers and embellishments to cover $1 wooden frames and I am really proud of the outcomes. I’ll post some pictures of my creations once I have a bit more completed.

And finally, puppies! We decided to go ahead with our initial plan of breeding our baby girl, Rori. We found a handsome little stud (with Hawaiian bloodline) and we let nature takes its course. We should have a litter of fully papered Jack Russell puppies during the second week in July! When Levi came home from work that evening she jumped into his lap and stared at him with the guiltiest little look I’ve ever seen. It was as if she was so ashamed to let her daddy know that she actually did the deed! It was hilarious, but exactly why having girls scares me!