R.I.P. Noogs

I debated on whether or not to post this, but it is a part of life, as well all know.

The day that I was on my way to Louisiana, little Noogs passed away. He is going to be very missed by many people, even the people who have their toes bitten by him. You couldnt help but love him no matter how grumpy he was, and oh geez was he a grumpy little one, dont let the sweet face deceive you :)

He was a one man dog, my dad's dog. It wasnt until my dad was plain out of sight that Noogs would decide to love up on you, except of course for the first few seconds that you show up at the house, then he was super excited, and wagged his whole body and gave you crazy amounts of kisses. Unless of course you are Shelley, then he peed on your purse!

His favorite toy was his Dalai Lama (a stuffed lama doll).

His favorite thing to do was hump a stuffed football, and anyone who has seen this sight Im sure will be permanently marked by it, I wont even go into details...

He loved to snuggle between legs on the couch.

His favorite spot to be was in my dad's arms, which he most often was, its like he was an extension of his body.

And he LOVED to sun bathe.

here he is on a pillow in the window sunlight...
here he is on Bella's window pillow when he spent the night at my house...
in my daddy's arms...
sunbathing...
and now he is back snuggling with my momma :)

We will miss you little B-Noogs. You have been a wonderful 2.5 pound part of our lives, and you will never be forgotten.

PEACE,
Laura

Noogs

Can you please say a little prayer for my little brother Noogs.

He is at the vet this morning hooked up to oxygen.

He has congestive heart failure and is having trouble breathing or walking. I know its getting close to his time, but it is still very hard for my daddy. Please just send a little love his way in your heart, thank you.


I love you Noogs!

PEACE,
Laura

Birthday PHotos!!!

Birthday Photos!!!! (finally)

All of these photos be me or my friend Jennifer (Jen Jen), so I will put jen jen under the ones that she took. Check out her livejournal to see some amazing photography work. She is currently working on her second round of 365, which blows me away, I could only accomplish one week! Let alone 2 years!!! Amazing girl she is...

Jen Jen's livejournal

Here is a pic she captured of my in my dress!!!

(jen jen)

Started off the party with some good old Willie Nelson on vinyl, a must!

These tables clothes are the ones I made for my wedding.

She most beautiful cake my best friend Shelley made for me. I told her I wanted something light and summery, and she nailed it with a yummy lemon cake. Check out the beautiful way the put the lemons on the side. love it! And she wrote Happy Birthday to me in Italian, b/c she said lemon reminds her of when my mom went to Italy and came home raving about the lemon trees! So sweet, she really is an amazing friend!

Here she is with her little boy! Im so glad he came for just a bit.

Xavier enjoying a cracker :)

Renea looked so beautiful in the pillow case top she made! Love her!

Alyssa! This girl is so cute, I love her. James calls her Living Dead Girl b/c she is a mortician, lol! So funny.

Shelley! She radiates beauty. I am so glad her and Dominic got to stay later this year! Her mom watched the babies!!!

my cutie James :)

Jen Jen, the readheaded dreadie :)

She broke out the guitar! And I loved her nail polish, I got some yesterday just like it :)

Jen's pic of my dress from the back! We broke out the hula hoop and it was a hit! Everyone tried it and had alot of fun with it all nite.

Here is Alyssa with it. She and Jen are going to get one, or we might make some when Katelyn comes to texas! Eeeek, I cant wait!

Johnny was a natural. It was so fun watching everyone try it.

My plate of food before the burgers and cake!

All the boys gathered around where James was grilling.

James grilled for the first time! He grilled aldolph burgers, grilled mushrooms, asparagus, red bell pepper, zucchinni, yellow squash... it was all so yum, I was so proud!

We so enjoyed using our grill. I think we might grill homeade pizzas on it tonite! (if it doesnt rain)

There are more photos on my facebook if you are my friend on there. If you want to be, please send me a convo letting me know who you are, I dont add people if I dont know where they are from on there :)

A Rose, By Any Other Name

This post is going to be a blend of cute pics of current life, as well as meaningful words to a special someone... no names, but if you are reading this, and it speaks to you, then it just may be you that I am speaking to :)

"Even when our life is most difficult, it is important to remember that something within us is keeping us alive, the life force, that lifts us, energizes us, pulls us back sometimes from the abyss of despair. True spirituality does not exist without love of life."
~Nathaniel Branden


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...a poor man's roses or a rich man's gold...

(check out the band in jame's shirt, its amazing)


I am baby sitting my little chihuahua brother Noogs while my dad is gone. He hasnt stayed with me in years. He is such a grumpy but cute little dog. He is definitely a one man dog, and that man is my dad. I miss him though, I dont see him everyday like I use to when I worked with my parents.

He is now on daily heart medicine b/c he was having problems. He pees all the time, he is a mess. But he is my brother and I love him so. He smells like a peanut to me. And he hates his feet being touched. Oh, and his favorite thing is to hump a stuffed football :)

This is my most adorable shirt I bought at Renegade. Its two little girls combing hedgehogs! Doesnt get much cuter than that!

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I have spent the last two days re-vamping my house and it feels so good. I cleared the living room a bit so I can hula hoop inside. I am on day 3 of hooping, although I didnt get to practice today... It may be hard to see, I think you can click on the photo to enlarge, but the dress form on the left is wearing PPP, Violet Bella, and Pennythreads! It all looks so cute together! And I lined up all of my wood blocks on the dresser, love them.

Here is Bella sitting in my sewing corner. (I have corners for everything, my house is small) And yes, this little space is wear all of the sewing magic happens... The blankets are my special blankets, from bottom up is one my nanna crochet, one my aunt lisa (my mom's sister) crocheted, and one my mom made when she was probably younger than me, a crazy quilt patchwork with very cool and old hippie fabrics, many she hand embroidered peace signs and mushrooms on :) one of my most treasured things I have.

As you can see from these photos, Bella follows me everywhere! I mean it. My new bed cover I found at a garage sale for $10!

I rearranged my furniture in my bedroom. I love my bookshelf in the corner. My dad made it. And now you can actually see and sit in my green velvet chair, it was tucked in a corner. The sun quilt is also one my mom hand made when she was very young. I have so many meaningful things she saved. Mothers, save your stuff! You never know what will be meaningful to your daughter one day, especially if you made it by hand! But dont be a hoarder :)

Oh, and the patchwork pillows on the chair I found at a local thrift store for like 10 cents!!! And we got a Liberty Leaf bag at target and use it for our laundry, I love it!

I even rearranged the porch! And I am happy that Violet still gets in her chair since I moved it.

Tomorrow is the kitchen! Im in major overhaul mood!

Now, for more words...

"If we could see that everything, even tragedy, is a gift in disguise, we would then find the best way to nourish the soul"

"over the years, i have learned that every life circumstance, even a crisis, can nourish your soul. at moments like this, we stand at a fork in the road. if we take the fork most commonly traveled, we collapse, we give up, feeling hopeless and defeated. we focus on the negatives, losing ourselves in the 'problem'. we point to our unhappy circumstances to rationalize our negative feelings. this is the easy way out. it takes, after all, very little effort to feel victimized.

ultimately, when you listen to your inner callings, when you 'follow your bliss', you are practicing the art of self-love. many of us have been taught that self-love is negative, narcissistic, and selfish. in fact, self-love is just the opposite. people with genuine self-love feel nurtured and complete: they have something left over for other people. when you look for the best, when you love yourself fully, and when you know that 'youre not fully OK, but that's OK', you are nurturing your SOUL on a daily basis. the soul accepts you as you are.

whether you know it or not, one of the most important relationships in your life is with your soul. will you be kind and loving to your soul, or will you be harsh and difficult? many of us unknowingly damage our souls with our negative attitudes and actions or by simple neglect. by making the relationship with your soul an important part of your life, however, by honoring it in your daily routine, you give your life greater meaning and substance. use your experiences, all of them, as opportunities to nourish your soul!"

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D.

...food for thought...

PEACE,
Laura