A gift to MYSELF :)

I decided you only turn the big 50 once... so I bought myself a gift. I deserve it & don't need permission or approval from any one to get myself a dog! (Only because some people have made nasty comments about my getting this new baby.) He is a Blue Merle Chihuahua and I named him "Marley". He is absolutely adorable! He is the sweetest, friendliest, snuggliest puppy & we all love him dearly.

I got him from Nancy White in South Carolina. She has her own Pet store & grooming shop. I love the blue merle color & absolutely fell in love with this little guy from the first time I saw his puppy photos. Then Nancy posted a pic of him with a large crocodile tear & that is what made up my mind that he was going to be my new baby.

If you are looking for a new furbaby or featherbaby I recommend Nancy! She is an amazing person that really cares about her animals.

Here is her information:

Nancy White

Pet Shack of Northside

110 N. Congress St.

Winnsboro, SC 29180

(803) 815-PETS

Let her know I sent you! :)

My 50th Birthday

It was a wonderful day yesterday! My mom threw a surprise 50th birthday party at her house. I thought it was just a family BBQ. Although Mom had been talking to my daughter & husband a lot lately! I really enjoyed myself.... it's not THAT bad turning the big 50! I am pretty damn hot for a 50 year old! ;)

I also got a lot of Happy birthday wishes from my Facebook friends, that was fun seeing all of them! Thanks everyone... you ALL made me feel special! :) ♥

Surprise Party Album on Facebook

Whose next...

Can you tell Lily adores Donnie! All he has to do is go out there & she watches, then he calls & she comes running to him. She is ADORABLE!

I went out yesterday and was checking our female llamas out. I am predicting that Ruby will have a cria hit the ground in the next week to 2 weeks, then Artemis and lastly Lucy. Llama crias are the cutest little furballs! Now that it is getting warmer it will be easier on the crias, mamas & of course us too.

Lily, who is Snowflakes cria, is a sugarbooger! She gets this look on her face and she nonchalantly sneaks away... then she spies on the adults & whomever is cush is her victim! LOL She runs at them at full speed & climbs up on their back or she runs up and pulls their tails. There have been couple times that we've seen the others chasing Lily around the pasture cuz she's annoyed them to the breaking point. But I know that the other llamas adore her cuz they watch over her. She is a very independant little cria cuz she will just wander off in the pasture away from her mama. But if Snowflake is not right there by her side the others are watching. :)

Unexpected Surprises

On Saturday morning, May 8, 2010, we were blessed with an unexpected gift! One of our llamas, Snowflake, gave birth to a beautiful, white, female cria! Much to our surprise we were not expecting her arrival as we thought that Snowflake was unable to have a cria.

Llamas gestation period is 11 1/2 months long (I know shot me dead!) and she hasn't been kept with Lakota since last summer. Most definitely Lakota Dotz is the sire of this adorable little cria.

Donnie worried over her cuz she wouldn't get up and nurse that morning. It was a windy & very brisk morning for her to be born on but as you know we don't get to pick the day and time of our blessings. After working with the cria for about 1 1/2 hours & Snowflake spitting on him trying to protect her cria, Lily was up & nursing. There were a few occasions where she fell or was blown over by the wind so Donnie would go back out & get her up & steady on her feet.

Now, 2 days later, she is just wonderful! A bit of a curious, social butterfly, as she doesn't stay close to her momma at all. If it is quiet you can hear her mom humming & see her running after the little white fluff of energy! All the other llamas in the pasture assist in watching over her too.

Welcome to the ranch Lily! Congratulations Snowflake & Happy Mothers Day!

The Weekend...

T.G.I.F. What does it mean... that it is Friday and the weekend is almost here. Weekends used to mean "family time" but things have changed a bit with that. Saturdays are usually spent running around like chickens without heads to the city to get things done that can't be done during the week when DH (Dear Hubby) is working. It takes the majority of the day. No such thing as "sleeping in" around here... I WISH we could but we very rarely sleep in. Sundays used to be church in the morning but that has slipped away. Now Sundays are days used for going to my parents house & running errands for them & doing things at their house they need help with. Sundays... laundry day for DH. Also used to do projects on the ranch when the weather is warm outside... which by the way should be happening in May. *fingers crossed* When it is summer we love to have BBQ's on the weekends. Good food, good friends/family and just chatting & chillin. Nothing better than that! Thank goodness for the weekends cuz it does bring some rest & relaxation for us and hopefully for yall too. :) Have a splendiferous weekend all!

My Eyes...

A couple weeks ago my eyeglasses broke out of the blue...so my husband took me to get my eyes checked & some new glasses. During the exam it was discovered that I have cataracts?! My left eye is -425 & my right is -725. UGH!! I'm 49 years old & I have cataracts??? What a shock to me and my family too! I had no idea, I have been having problems with my eyes for the past few years, a couple weeks after getting glasses I can't see as well as I could during the exam. I kept telling myself that the script was off but apparently I have been incorrect. My right eye is the worst and surgery needs to be done on this eye first. My left eye is just showing the signs of cataracts beginning so it also needs to be done at some point. My Doctor has grounded me from driving at dawn & dusk because of how bad my sight has gotten. I never realized how often I want/have to drive at those times??? It has become an inconvenience for me not to be able to drive. My husband works hard 5 days a week & drives all day long, so when he gets home the last thing he wants to do is drive some place. My daughter has extracurricular activities where she needs to be taken to or picked up from at those times of the day??? I never realized it but I need to be able to do my part of driving for them both and this is really putting a damper on us. I NEED to have this cataract surgery! Shockingly the surgery is $2,500.00 PER EYE! Yikes *gasp* but it NEEDS to be done. We were referred to a company that assists in the cost of the surgery if you meet their criteria and are approved by them. At this point we are waiting for them to contact me for an interview to see if we would qualify for assistance. I do not like waiting... tick...tick...tick. We haven't scheduled the cataract surgery yet because I don't have the monies for it so we wait for the approval of this other place before we can schedule the surgery. I am having a hard time seeing because I did not get new eyeglasses, I do have the script eyeglasses from the exam BEFORE the eyeglasses that broke but they seriously are not too much help. I am tired of not being able to see & getting these headaches too! I know I am stressed out because lord knows I don't want to not have the surgery but I don't want to stress out my husband about the costly surgery, also my daughter is very worried about me now since I can't see. My eyes are important to me, I it has been difficult to function normally here at home caring for the animals, the house and my family. Also I love photography & it is hard enough to take photos when you can see... it is next to impossible to do now. I am thankful that I am fortunate enough that my eyes can be fixed as I know there are some people that lose their sight altogether. I am trying not to freak out about it because it can be fixed but it is hard to not be bummed out about trying to get through a day with the way my eyes are now. :( OK... Time to stop with the woes me, pull up my panties & suck it up! Just had to get it out...