How can you tell...

...when a Boxer is living in your home??? This is the sliding door leading out onto the kitchen deck. It would appear I've been slacking in my window washing duties. However, I've decided to wait until our houseguest goes home to give them a good scrub.

This is Boscoe. He and Abby got to be friends when she stayed at his house when we went to Phoenix for Spring Break (update on that next week!) Seriously, I could stare at this face all day. He is so expressive and it changes constantly.

Boscoe is a big boy. BIG BOY. He's laying in front of a sliding door here. Sizeable young man.

He has the coolest paws. They're huge. But check out his nails. People pay good money for a pedicure like that!

This was mid-yawn. Sigh. Can you stand it?

I usually don't ask my houseguests to help with the dishes, but Boscoe was more than happy to help with the Au Gratin bowl. He was quite thorough. He worked the bowl like this for five minutes.

After cleaning up the dinner dishes, we went outside for some of this. Boscoe likes to run and fetch the tennis ball, so we throw the ball over and over and over until he tires out.

Because of his rather powerful jaws, I wait until he drops the ball so I can throw it again. He cracks me up because he'll drop it and it'll roll an inch and he'll stare it down and then pounce on it.

A profile of the boy. He has one of those faces only a mother could love. I'm his foster mother this week and I'm in love.

He has this deep ridge between his eyes. Brian's finger is completely nestled in there.

This is what Boscoe would have looked like if his ears had been cropped Boxer style.

This is what he would have looked like if he had played Sally Field's part in the Flying Nun. You don't honestly expect us to not play with the ears, do you?

Living the life of a big dog is exhausting. It must be a Boxer trait because our foster-pup Sasha sleeps exactly like this, too.

But that position only lasts so long before...

...he really gets comfy. Then he goes upstairs and snuggles in Brian's bed for the night.

Sigh. Hayley has volleyball Regionals all this weekend, so I'm not going to be around to play with the big boy. We'll have to have some good tennis ball time before his mama arrives on Monday to take him home.

Sniffle sniffle...

Back by popular demand...

...actually it would seem by very popular demand!

Let's be honest here: I don't think anyone reads my little blog. (Insert lonely, sad face here.) I get very few comments and you know who you are (Hi Josie Grandma and Missy Laura...love you!) So, I just figured nobody else cared about what us PNW Liebel's were up to. Then I started getting verbal comments from Dano and Brian and Josie Grandma. Basically (and I'm totally paraphasing here:) "People have inquiring minds! They want you to update your dang blog!"

So, since Spring has sprung in these here parts, first I updated the banner. Above, is a glimpse of our luscious flowering trees that now line our property. If you're nice, perhaps I'll post a photo of the current state of the landscaping soon. It's pretty. And it's cool. It's pretty cool. Heh heh.

This was just a teaser of future blog updates. I have to head out to do errands, etc. We have volleyball Regionals Saturday and Sunday. And since I can't do a blog post without a photo, behold: Just a little taste of what we've been up to this week. I know! Can you stand it???? His name is Boscoe and I'll tell you all about him later on.

For the Josies...

I figured I'd post our new dining room this way because it would take forever to upload photos into emails! So, without further delay, I give you... ...the new Dining Room!

And really, it isn't quite finished. Those black "bee" hooks on the wall will soon be gone. Just as soon as we find the perfect mirror to go above the sideboard. And the chandelier is going to be replaced with something, oh I don't know....pleasing to the eye! (i.e. we don't like this one. It is ugly.) And we will be painting the walls. But for now, I'm pretty content.

Anyway, this is the dining room set we fell in love with. This is the table without the leaf..that is why the two chairs are in the corners. Can you see the inlay detail? No?

How's this? I think this is what sold me on the set: The chairs are upholstered in this yummy fabric, yet the outside backs of the chairs have the matching wood inlay from the table. Because sometimes, kitties (not mine, of course) like to stretchhhhhh and then their claws get stuck in the upholstery on the back of the chair. This is also commonly known as "the sharpening of the claws." Problem averted. Because one never likes their new dining room chairs to be used as a scratching post.

Then we have the sideboard. Buffet. Whatever you choose to call it.

I call it "luvah." So does Abby. She likes that all her china fits inside and she still hasn't put a thing in the drawers yet.

It would appear I've embarrassed the Boy by making him sit and model at the table. Then again, I'm not the one with a fern growing out of my head, am I? Sorry, Brian knows I totally planned that shot. By the way, that is my "Butler's Pantry" through that doorway. Since I don't have a butler, I like to call it the "Bar." Anybody thirsty?

I am funny about artwork. I like family photos. Other than that, there isn't much out there that I want to look at every day. Except for one artist. We love Albert Bierstadt. We have one of his prints of the Sierra's in our bedroom and we thought something similar would look good in the dining room. And we would never get bored with it because it would remind us of our favorite area to camp. We came across this in the same store we found the dining room set in. It is a print of Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite. I guess you can take the Liebels out of the Sierra's...but you can't take the Sierra's out of the Liebels!

Hold on just a minute...just what is this??? This is certainly not acceptable. No. Never. Ever.

What was it they say about curiosity and the cat? She's very cute. Very naughty, but cute.

So, this concludes our tour. I hope you enjoyed it. Josie Grandma and Grampa, you may now return to your nice, warm pool in your nice, warm climate. I've made up a schematic. Trust me, this was nothing. I believe we counted at least 20 Josie friends in the pool a little later on...and they ALL HAD NOODLES!

It's not like I'm jealous or anything. =)

TESTING...1...2...3

Hello from lovely Spokane! Hayley is playing in the PNQ Volleyball Tournament this weekend and I'm chaperoning eleven 16 yr. old young ladies! They played awesome today, so they are still in the gold bracket for tomorrow's matches. Wish them luck...they're trying to earn a bid to go to Junior Nationals in July! GO NORTHSHORE 16 BLACK! (This post was done from my phone so if it is funky...hey, I tried!) Have a great weekend!

Happy Monday!

Now THIS is the way to start off the week! Welcome home Ashlynn and Tami!

And in other baby-related news, we also got word that our nephew Chris and his sweet wife Julie welcomed Baby #3 to their family this fine morning! Congratulations Chris, Julie, and BIG sisters Athena and Zoe...and welcome to the world John Patrick Liebel!

It is a good day indeed!

One Year Ago Today...

~~~ 3/8/08 ~~~

...We were down in sunny SoCal for the wedding of our niece, Laura and her Prince Charming, Corey. That day, they became Mr. and Mrs. Corey Riggins. (You must go to their blog and check out the slideshow of the day!)

Everyone jumped for joy... Haha...that just had to be said. Seriously though, after being apart for so long while Corey was being a Navy man in a submarine and Laura was learning to be (and became) an awesome Pediatric RNP, it was so nice to see these two lovebirds finally have their day.

It was stunningly beautiful, from beginning to end. Check out the ballroom for the reception: And that wasn't even half of the room! It took my breath away.

My Laura let me help her with all things paper for her wedding. We made all the invitations, menu cards, place cards, table numbers and programs. It was truly a labor of love...one which I'm ready to take on again. (Ahem, that means you Andrew! And Matt! and Stephanie! Hint hint...) Can you tell the Liebel family enjoys weddings?!

Then of course, there was the cake: Lordy lordy, this was to die for! The best part is that I just talked to Laura on the phone a few minutes ago and she was sitting outside the bakery while Corey ran in to pick up their 1st Anniversary cake! How cool...the bakery provided an exact copy of the top tier of their wedding cake. No freezer burn for them! Me = Jealouuuuusss.

So, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you, Mr. & Mrs. Riggins! We miss you like crazy! We love and adore you!

Now, on another note...we got 4 inches of snow last night. But the good news is that the sun is out and is melting the snow away! Mother Nature...she's a fickle one, no?

Have an awesome day!

Doggy Day Care

Say hello to Sasha. She lives right next door to us. But on weekends, we get to watch over this sweetie while her family heads down to the hospital to be with Ashlynn and Tami. (Be sure to check Ashlynn's website for an update on how she's doing. She is completely adorable!)

So, Tom brings Sasha over on Friday and she settles right in with the our family. This pup plays hard and when she's done, she ZONKS hard! This is a nightly ritual in our house. Dano climbs into bed and Abby lays next to him and they have their moment of togetherness. Well, no one told Sasha that it was Abby's moment, so she jumps right on up there with Dano and Abby and the three of them have some bonding time. At first, old lady Abby (mid-yawn, above) didn't quite know what to make of Sasha spending so much time around the house, especially when it came time for the nightly bonding. But over the last few weekends, she has gotten used to it and dare I say it, is enjoying Sasha being around?! When Tom comes to take Sasha home on Sunday nights, Abby has been known to go sit and stare longingly out the front window. It's a sad sight indeed. Don't tell her I told you that.

So, after the moments of bonding, everyone falls asleep. I cropped Dano out of the sleeping photo, as per his request. Heh heh. Here are the girls, as we like to say, "crack to crack."

This only lasts for so long and then Abby jumps down from the bed and goes into her Dorm Room. Sasha, choosing comfort over privacy, stays on our bed all night, curled up in a tiny ball. She makes a great cuddle pillow!

And that, my friends, is another example of animals living together in harmony. Missy Laura will be so proud!

Hayley and I are off to Olympia for another round of Power League volleyball tomorrow. Yes, two hours away. We almost got to slated to play in Stanwood (about 20 minutes north of here.) But no. They only taunted us with the possibility and then decided...no, you shall drive two hours to play! FINE! (Listen to me whine...everyone knows I'd go anywhere to watch my Bobo play volleyball.)

Have a lovely weekend!

A Favor Please...

This is Ashlynn.

Can you stand the cuteness? Ashlynn is our six-month old next-door neighbor. She is the sweetest little doll. Ashlynn and her family need our prayers.

Ashlynn was diagnosed last week with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Her wonderful family is doing everything they can to get this little sweetie healthy so she and her mama (Tami) can come back home. Ashlynn's daddy (Tom) started a blog to keep everyone informed of her progress, so please go visit the site and bookmark it. Most of all though, please keep the entire Hagar family (Ashlynn, big sisters Amber and Alyssa, and of course Tom and Tami) in your prayers. They have a long journey ahead of them and every little bit helps!

Ashlynn's website is http://ashlynnsfight.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much!

P.S. Apologies for the lack of attention to my blog. January was a long month with Danny out of town for three weeks and myself battling the crud/laryngitis for two of those weeks. The kids and I were just living our busy lives and missing Dano. Honestly though, since we found out about Ashlynn, it just didn't seem important to update this thing. If there was a reason to get back into the swing of things, this is it. =)

New Years Eve...and Bunco!

Yes, we played COUPLES BUNCO on New Years Eve! Pay no mind to that sad face there. I think most of the menfolk were like, "What the heck is Bunco?" and "Why do WE have to play?" Until they started playing. And then it was all about the stickers and everyone pretty much agreed that the men thoroughly enjoyed their evening of Bunco! A total of nine couples and probably an equal number of offspring gathered at Ken & Kathy's lovely home to ring in the New Year.

Here they are...the host and hostess with the mostest! Aren't they cute?

We started with a yummy spread of appetizers.

Meatballs in sauce. What's not to smile about?

I have to include the following photo: This is a very common sight in the Pacific Northwest. (My SoCal readers will marvel at this!) When you arrive at someones home, the shoes come off. Because no one wants all the snow and water and muck on their floors that you might otherwise drag in!

Okay, back to the Bunco festivities! Here we have Table #1 or the Head Table. Left to right: Tony, Kathy, Jay, Mary and Mike. (This is the written portion my test on everyone's names!) Teehee. Also of interest: Jay is sporting the fashionable "I Rolled the Last Bunco" Hat. I think Tony actually got to wear the hat three times. And that didn't jive with his ploy to stay in his comfy chair and not move tables all night!

Here we have Table #2. The losers from Table #1 migrate to this table. I certainly didn't mean to say that this is a group of losers. That came out all wrong, huh? Forgive me. Anyway, (left to right) is Jim, Sheryl, Carrie, and Dan. Dano's eyes are closed, but he is ready to roll the dice!

I didn't get photos of the other two tables because the bell rang and I had to sit down!!!

Ken and I. Oh, look who's wearing the coveted hat now! Yes, I rolled a sweet Bunco to steal the previous game. Ask Tony, he'll tell ya! (And for my Bunco girls back in SoCal, that last Bunco was on Sexy Sixes!!! Woot woot!)

So, after three rounds of rolling the dice, Jay was triumphant. Look at all those stickers! For Jay, it was all about collecting stickers. His plan worked.

This is Mary and Mike. They were also big Bunco winners. If I remember correctly, Mike had the last Bunco and Mary came in Second Place for the most stickers. How cute are they? We'll talk about these two later...

Danny won the Booby Prize. His sticker paper looked the opposite of Jay's. Actually, it might have even been worse, but we won't go there.

Instead, let's go upstairs. The Christiansen's have this awesome bonus room full of games to play.

Ken organized a Darts tournament, with teams consisting of each couple. Here, Ken is explaining how its gonna go down.

When you weren't playing darts, you could play foosball, pool, or the ever-popular Rock Band. Left to right: Jerry, Abby, Darlene, Sheryl and Mike.

The dart action shots aren't so good, so let me just cut to the good news: Danny and I went through the bracket undefeated. Our final opponents were Mary & Mike. Mike is very good, and Mary is the queen of the "Triple 20." It was a tough match and I thought we had no chance when they had us 490 to somewhere around 440. I think I threw a 14, then I know I threw a 25 (woohoo!) and then, thinking it was over, lobbed it and it was a double 13...ding ding ding...we won! You seriously could have knocked me over with a feather. But we do concede that had the game gone only to 300, instead of 500, we would have not been victorious.

Amazingly, the Darts Tournament ended at about 11:55, so we all went downstairs and gathered around the TV to see the fireworks off of the Space Needle and ring in the New Year. This is my only proof that Hayley and Brian were there. That is Hayley in the turquoise sweater and that is Brian's foot by her elbow.

Kathy, Ken, Karen and Rob: Thank you again for such a fun evening! And for introducing us to such a sweet and fun group of friends! We are blessed. =)

Happy New Year everyone!