I am so blessed!

My friend Nicolette, who lives in The Hague in the Netherlands, sent me a SURPRISE package the other day. She made me this LOVELY quilted table runner... Thank you Nicolette!!! I love it! I put it on the table for Easter week and it's just sooooo perfect and Springy! I can't wait for Kristin to see it when she arrives Friday for the weekend.

The little candles are in glass rabbit candle holders. They didn't show up in the photo but, oh so cute and perfect with the runner.Nicolette also sent a copy of Marie Claire Idees. I love, love, love this magazine as it is so overflowing with inspiration. I used to have a subscription to it thru Amazon.com. But it ran out and I failed to renew it. I need to order it again now that I am reminded how much I enjoy it. Thanks again, Nicolette!!

And what would my blog be without a current photo of the man in my life... Otter!! Such a loving guy!! He gets his first grooming on Thursday so he'll smell sweet when he meets Kristin for the first time.

I love my new vegetarian lifestyle and the exercise I'm getting with the frequent dog-walking. Otter could walk for ever! And listen to this... 14... yes, fourteen pounds have disappeared with these life changes. And it's been effortless with the yummy good food I'm eating. More about that another day.

Make this a great day regardless of the obstacles you face! Treasure each moment!!

Hugs to you all!

Joni

Otter and Ginger

Guess who loves to get under the covers and put his head on a pillow?? Yup... that's my Otter!! He is soooo snuggly!! I think that's a trait of most beagles. He has certainly added a lot of life and love to this house. Meet our little friend Ginger who belongs to my friends Myles and Lyn. Ginger has a sister Gracie who is equally charming... she prays... HONEST! The humor in this photo is that Ginger is resting with her paws on a Scrabble dictionary. M & L are marathon Scrabble players! Ginger wants you to know that her favorite word is "MEOW" and that few Scrabble players know that it is an official Scrabble word. Soooooo... Meow to you! Ginger and Gracie love to have their teeth brushed every night. Wonder if my guy Otter would let me do that? I know there is meat flavored doggie toothpaste.

Coming this week:

1. A Great Trip to Barnes and Noble.

2. The Joys of Becoming a Vegetarian.

3. A New Cookbook Idea!

4. Kristin's 40th Birthday in Phoenix.

MAKE THIS A GREAT DAY!

~Joni

Ever see a green river?

This is what my daughter Kristin will see as she leaves her downtown condo tomorrow to go to work... the Chicago River turns GREEN! Honest!! Tomorrow!!Called the eighth wonder of the world: Dyeing the Chicago River green on the morning of every St. Patrick's Day Parade. In the 1960's, plumbers set out to determine exactly how the river was being polluted... a job that heralded the introduction of the first batch of green dye to the river. The plumbers were testing plumbing systems to see if anything was being illegally dumped into the river. They were putting a green dye into the systems of each building. If the dye ended up in the river, they'd know whose system needed an overhaul. The idea of adding massive amounts of green dye to the Chicago River on St. Patrick's Day, however, came from a plumber working on the project. What better tribute to the Emerald Isle than a bit of Irish green in the river? The first time the plumbers tried it, the people of Chicago observed the bright green water flowing by their buildings for three days. Today it's more like three hours before the green stuff dissipates naturally. The process begins at 10:45 a.m. on Columbus Drive on the morning of the Chicago parade. Men in giant white suits and masks throw an orange powder -- one of three colors, along with white and green, on the Irish flag into the river. Boats churn the water to turn it a perfect emerald green, and the current carries the color along the parade route just in time for step off at noon. The river-dyeing festivities alone attract anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 people -- two-thirds of whom traditionally stick around and join the even bigger crowd at the parade. The dye is a secret formula but it's 100 percent safe.

MAKE THIS A GREAT DAY!!
Joni O'Possin

What a Sweet Boy!

Otter is just the SWEETEST dog! He is sooooo loving! And so good!! He's not interested in toys or rawhide chews... but checking out this teddy.

Favorite spot... the couch in the den. He loves to cuddle in the afghan that my Mom knit. Otter sheds a lot and of course the couch, being solid red, really gets 'hairy' by the end of the day.

Last week it rained everyday and created a great deal of mud along the sidewalks. YUCK!

This week is supposed to be sunny and in the 50's... great dog-walking weather!!

My pumpkins are gross and my neighbor offered to remove them for me. Guess he couldn't stand looking at them any longer. Actually... they've been buried in snow for months and not visible!! At least that's how I justify the fact that they didn't make the garbage in the Fall.

With all the walking that Otter and I are doing, I decided to change my eating habits and be kinder to the earth. I'm now eating 'green'... day #5. No more meat, fish, eggs, etc. However, I haven't given up cheese yet. That will come!! I've done this before and it's amazing how good I felt.

Make this a GREAT day!

Joni

I'm in Looooooooove!!!

Meet Otter!!
He's a 2.5 year old Beagle that I saw at the animal shelter yesterday. It was love at first sight!! There is usually a 4 day wait but my timing was right and I was able to take him home yesterday. Otter came to the shelter because his owners were moving and couldn't take him with them. He craves attention and has a big heart! He is gentle and loving and is already mending my broken heart. He was up-to-date with routine shots, house trained and spayed/neutered... perfect!

Yes... he slept in my bed last night (well it's a king size). I slept with one eye open keeping an eye on him and we ended up going for a walk at 5:00 AM. The walking is just what I needed to burn some calories and Otter loves to be outside. With all the warm weather we've been having, there is a lot of MUD out there! So we'll have to wait a bit before we go to the dog park.

I need a nap!!

Hugs to all!

Joni

PS He doesn't mind the flash on the camera... Yea!!

Books and a Movie!

Have you read anything by Adriana Trigiani? Big Stone Gap? (about to become a movie). A friend suggested Adriana's new Trilogy about a family of old world Italian shoemakers in Greenwich Village. They've been making exquisite wedding shoes since 1903 and now Valentine must bring the old-world craftsmanship into the 21st century. She returns to Italy to find some answers. Throw in a romance with a dashing chef! Adrianna is such a good storyteller... I don't want to put the book down and I just started it last night.
The second book in the trilogy is Brava, Valentine. The third book has not been published as of today.

I stumbled across this movie, Easy Virtue the other night on Netflix, and watched it right on my laptop... FREE! I adored it!! Great casting!! I may watch it again! Love Colin Firth... always! And Kristin Scott Thomas is one of my favorite female actresses. And what fun when the setting is an English Country House.

Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Barnes bring Noël Coward's witty comedy of manners magnificently to life in this "deliciously cheeky" adaptation. When British playboy John brings his new wife Larita - a race car-driving feminist from Detroit - home to meet the family at their country estate, pretty much everyone's expectations are disappointed. His snooty mother is offended by Larita's carefree American ways, while Larita does everything she can to get her mother-in-law to loosen up, which only annoys her even more. John's sisters have diametrically opposed feelings about their new sister-in-law, but his father is intrigued to have finally found another who sees through the family's façade - and takes great perverse pleasure in watching his wife meet her match.

The Newlyweds

Mother and 'the sisters'.

Mother finds her dog dead in a throw pillow.

Whoops!

New DIL sat on her!!

That's it for today... Make this a great day!!

Hugs to you my friends!

Joni