Morgan

Well, I didn't have to dream for long. We had done our research, we knew what we had in mind... My husband and I knew we were leaning towards a goldendoodle. We were looking for a mild-mannered dog, since our last two were/are a bit on the neurotic side.

We had heard that people who get goldendoodles were concerned about the poodle parents. So, we took a trip-about an hour and a half drive-to meet the parents at a breeder's home. The breeder asked us the size range we were looking for, since she would have two sizes. We told her the larger (50-60 lbs) size. She then brought in the male/father/poodle. He was amazing. So friendly, sweet, and liked us better than treats! :) That sold it for us, I think. Then she brought in the mom who was also lovely, although she liked the treats. :) Then, the puppies.

When we went, we knew from looking on her website that they only had females available. But, someone who had a deposit down on the last male backed out. Since we had males previously and my weim was such a loving dog, I thought I would want him. My husband, younger daughter and I held and snuggled with all five puppies. The pup who cried and wiggled the most like he wasn't comfortable was the male. My husband had the biggest female and she snuggled into him and sat calmly. When I took her she gave me a kiss and snuggled more, eventually falling asleep in my arms. Adorable. My youngest daughter loved and snuggled her, too, delighted. Although we loved all the puppies, this girl was the sweetest and most calm, which-after the two guys we had before her-seemed great! :) Let's hope that is her personality as she grows.

On the way down my husband asked about name choices. When we got our first dog, he said we could pick the dog and he'd pick the name, eventually naming him Merlin, after Merlin the magician in the King Arthur stories. So, I reminded him of the precedent and he went to thinking. He said how about a girl could be Morgan-I asked if he meant the sorceress Morgan Le Fay from the Arthur stories. He said yes or Guenevere? I said definitely Morgan. We didn't even discuss a boy's name. So, we will welcome our lovely new puppy, Morgan Le Fay in mid-March. :)

Dreaming

We have been discussing getting a puppy. The rational side of me thinks of the work, the mess, the being tied to home, and general puppy stress, let alone the stress it could cause Percy... But the dreaming side of my brain looked at puppy pictures on Pinterest and oohed and aahed. I checked the local humane society, as well, looking for a young dog that would fit in our home. My husband held firm saying no to any puppy that crossed our minds... until a labradoodle/goldendoodle was brought up. He made the mistake of saying he'd take one of those aloud and the hunt began. We have been checking/calling/emailing local breeders, calling our vet and beginning to research. Dreaming...

Recipes I've Tried This Week

This past weekend I sat down and planned the week's meals. I feel better when I do this, I don't buy as much junk and I don't have to make ten trips to the grocery store. On Monday I tried Spinach, Ricotta & Pesto Lasagna. This version of the recipe calls for you to make your own noodle sheets and I did not. It turned out delicious! All three of us enjoyed it-and leftovers this week, too! We gave it two thumbs up and will be making it again. 

I also tried cherry tomato and tortellini soup. I had purchased pre-made cheese tortellini for one night and then saw that we needed to use up tomatoes in our fridge-not cherry, but they worked. One other change: We had spinach we had to use before it went bad so I sauteed it with some garlic and put it in the soup, as well. YUM! :) Another recipe we all liked! I have one more recipe I'm trying, but I will post about it next week. :) 

Have you tried any delicious recipes, lately, Reader? Or have you brought out some family favorites?

What I'm Reading

I am still reading Winter's Tale. The movie comes out this week and I am nowhere near finished. It's good, but it requires more concentration and slower reading than other books. I do like it, though. So, I'm chugging along. Hoping to have it done by next weekend and that it will still be in theaters! :)

I am also still working on my devotional that I picked up last summer. It is The One Year Wisdom for Women devotional. I really like it.

I did start a new book that was given to me when I started the chaplain training. It's part of our reading for the course. It is called Our Greatest Gift-A Meditation on Dying and Caring by Henri Nouwen. The Care Ministry pastor said it was a great resource for him. I'm 1/4 of the way through it. This is where some of my Winter's Tale reading time has gone. :)

In other reading news, regular readers might remember how much I love the Mitford Series by Jan Karon. It was posted yesterday that she has a new book that takes readers back to Mitford coming out in September of this year! Totally made my day! Mitford books are my favorite ever. :)

What are your favorite books/series to read?

Thursday Helpful Sites

Feedly keeps me up to date on my favorite blogs.  This week, the last of this kind for a while, is under the heading "Inspiration", for me. I appreciate the authors and their topics.

1. I love Life by Kal Barteski has wonderful inspiration for the eyes and the mind. I appreciate her point of view tremendously.
2. I found this blog, Keeping Tabs, through someone who knows the author. She suggested her friends read about this Ohio girl who has/is traveling the world. She often posts wonderful pictures, too.
3. I began following Lisa Leonard when some women in the scrapbook community suggested it. First, her jewelry was beautiful and connected with the one little word concept. But her faith and life story keep me reading.
4. I'm not sure how I stumbled across Lisa Russo, but once I did, I fell in love with her art. Her photographs speak to my heart and style. I have been changing some of the design, here at my house, cleaning out spaces in our home, as well as extraneous decor and am dreaming of the day when I can add her work to our home. I haven't, yet, but I will. Once I fell for her art, I continued to read her blog and appreciate how similar we are. 
5. Vicky and Jen: "What Really Matters"-I originally found them via their podcasts. I appreciated their home/mom advice as I listened. Then I began to follow their blog. There is some overlap, but not always, with the podcast. Two down-to-earth moms who work at bettering life.
6. The next two blogs don't have posts too often, as they are busy people, so I can relate, but I appreciate glimpses into their family lives-their real life. They inspire me, both in different ways. The first is It Matters by Darci Dowdle, a mom of 5 kids and a woman journeying with her faith.
7. Jenny Meyerson: Learn with Jenny-I first saw a video of her through a scrapbooker's blog-dancing. An amazing lady on a journey through life as a mom and wife.

Do you have blogs that you read because they inspire you? Hope you are well, Reader.