In honor of National Dog Day,  meet my dogs!

Max and Piper

Max, on the left, is a German Shepherd mix. We got him, for free, when he was 6 weeks old. He’s about 18 months old now.  He is very protective of the whole family. He even goes so far as to give us an escort when we leave in the car. He walks us to the car, and waits behind the car while we get in. Then when we start backing up, he runs up the driveway. He stays ahead of the car up the driveway, and runs in front of the car on the road. When he thinks he has done his job and we are safe, he moves to the side of the road so we can pass.

He’s a really sweet dog. That most people are afraid of. lol I have to tell everyone, including the mail man and other delivery people, that it’s ok,  he just wants to play with them. lol His favorite delivery people are the ones with treats. lol

Piper, on the right, is a Morkie. which is a cross between a Maltese and a Yorkie. She looks like a Yorkie, though. We were given Piper when she was just over 3 years old. She is now about 4 1/2 years old. She came with papers, so we know her birth date, parents names, etc.

Piper came to us with “issues”. She had been kept in the house, rarely let outside even on a leash, and we were told was housebroken to puppy pads. If she was, she gave that up when she moved here! It took me about 6 weeks to get her trained to going outside. She hates to be tied up outside, and will retaliate by going to the bathroom in the house as soon as we bring her in. grrrr Piper pretty much only likes the people that live here. Even family members that visit all the time, and she should be used to, can not escape her wrath when they come. She hasn’t bitten anyone, not even close, but she lets everyone know that she is not pleased that they are here by barking, snarling, and growling. For some reason, she still hasn’t figured out that that behavior is what gets her banished from the living room. lol

I took several pictures, and this one is the only one that they were both looking in the same direction at the same time. lol Maybe I should have taken treats out with me. lol

I’m sure that if they knew it was National Dog Day, that they would have demanded some! lol

I am pleased to be a part of this years Giving Back Packs event. The Giving Back Packs event has bloggers buying school supplies, filling backpacks, and donating those backpacks to kids that need them.

This years Giving  Back Pack event has 3 sponsors. Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Almonds, and Fiji Water.

Wonderful Pistachios are available in 3 different varieties in convenient tube packs. Kids love eating Wonderful Pistachios because they love cracking them open. Moms love them because they are nutritious.

Wonderful Almonds come in tube packs that are perfect for putting in lunch boxes. Available in 2 varieties, Wonderful Almonds are a great source of Vitamin E, and a good source of fiber.

Fiji Water helps kids stay hydrated during the school day, as well as at sporting events. The square bottles are cool looking, too.

The sponsors sent me a very nice, high quality denim back pack, a large box of Wonderful Almonds, a large box of Wonderful Pistachios, and 2 bottles of Fiji Water, along with a $25 prepaid card to purchase school supplies with.

I did all the shopping at Walmart. I spent $25.32 before tax on all the school supplies.

I bought a binder, filler paper, wire bound notebooks, composition notebooks, pocket folders, highlighters, pens, pencils, a pencil sharpener, white out, a pencil box, sticky notes, index cards, hand sanitizer, a calculater, and a magnetic dry erase board for the locker.

Then it was time for packing the backpack! Thankfully, the back pack was large, so I was able to fit everything in.

I filled every nook and cranny of this back pack.

The inside pockets, the front pocket, and a pocket on the back of the back pack. I had to take the nuts out of the boxes so I could fit everything in. The tube packages fit great in all the pockets.

The calculator got left out of the picture of all the school supplies. I found it in a bag after I was finished packing the back pack. I managed to find a spot to put it in. Here is the completely filled back pack.

There is a great need for donated school supplies in every community. I feel so privileged to participate in this years Giving Back Pack event and donate this filled back pack to a child in my community. This back pack was given to a girl, “E”, that lives with her grandparents.

To find out more about Giving Back Packs, visit the Real Advice Gal.

*Disclosure: I did received a $25 giftcard to purchase school supplies as documented above.. I received no compensation for this post.

I talked before about a mother’s emotions when she misses her kids that aren’t at home. After a very emotional 7 weeks for me, I’m over joyed to say that she is home!

Abby was gone for 7 weeks on a mission trip. Our only communication for those 7 weeks were 2 – 5 minute phone calls, and letters. Not enough for this mama!

Yes, I did cry when she got off the plane! We had gotten special passes so we could go back to the gate to meet her when she got off the plane. She was surprised to see us standing there.

She had barely eaten all day, and had been at the airport since 7 that morning. It was now after 6:30 pm. So we stopped at a restaurant at the airport to get food to go.

She stopped to sign the big board at the airport.

And then we were on our way home!

My husband and I had left home a few minutes after 10 in the morning to allow for traffic. We (I!) didn’t want to be late! We didn’t get home until just after 11:30 pm!

Her flight ended up being delayed for almost 3 hours. They closed the airport because of storms in Orlando. Poor thing, a wait like that sure messes with your nerves. I’m so thankful for cellphones!

The long day, the long wait, the nerve wracking delays, sitting in the airport for hours, were all worth it.

Because she’s home!!