one greyt life

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-29T10:10:00.003-05:00

Foxy Lady

2011-03-03T11:35:00.001-05:00

;)

Downward Facing Dog

2011-02-26T16:53:00.002-05:00

why I never get any of my own time on the mat...

Blog Hop

2011-02-05T12:09:00.005-05:00

Thought it would be fun to join this blog hop that I saw through Tales and Tails, my favorite doggie blog. This Saturday's Pet Blog Hop is hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. You can join too! If you'd like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor.

Busy, busy!

2011-02-03T09:32:00.002-05:00

How did two long months go by since my last post?! Oh, that's right, I turn into a depressed hermit at the onset of winter. The time change really screwed me up this year working nights. So I will try to be better. Until my next (hopefully soon) post, here is Red busy at work this morning rearranging our shoes.

First Crochet Project - Done!

2010-12-07T15:25:00.006-05:00

I've been dabbling around with crocheting lately and have finally finished something :) I found this pattern for free through Ravelry. It is the Blueberry Dreams Neckwarmer by Whimsical Kitty. It only took me 2-3 days to make it (over a week since I had to work in between). I bought this yarn quite a while ago on a trip to Western Mass to visit some of the AVAP5, which happily included a trip to Webs. I think the two buttons (purchased separately) cost more than the yarn but I wanted something fun to embellish it just a bit. I started with a different yarn but didn't like the way it looked; I'm so glad I switched it out for this!

So, without further ado.....

Yay for crocheting!! :)

Mail Goodies

2010-11-09T12:52:00.003-05:00

The Cookie Truck - aka the UPS truck - made a nice delivery today. The girls got their cookies and I got lots of reading material!

These should keep me busy this winter.

These should help keep me crafting.

Here's a current WIP (work-in-progress) - another tutorial from Meet Me at Mike's

Backpacking 2010 in Review

2010-11-08T11:57:00.011-05:00

I had so hoped for one more big hike up north this fall, the best time by far to enjoy the crisp outdoors minus the swarms of people. But lots of overtime for both Nate and I eliminated much of our free time. I would love to try winter hiking but I don't think Joy and Red would appreciate it so much!

So, until next year dear north woods. I will stay content with our local tromps on dirt roads and maybe some snowshoing too.

Heading up Kearsarge from Wilmot, NH - such beautiful tall trees. Our first hike of the season at the end of May (our 5-year anniversary!!).

Heading back down Kearsarge.

Along the Peabody River in the Great Gulf Wilderness below Mt. Washington. A short overnight trip at the Osgood Tent Site as we had bears attempting to steal every one's food.

Insert bear on trail right behind tent -Red was going ballistic!

Our longest trip of the year - 4 days/3 nights on the Mahoosic Range.

It was a humid first day with few watering holes along the way - this mud puddle had to suffice for the girls.

Gorgeous views of the Presidentials all along the way.

Enchanting stand of birches.

A cool mossy spot to rest weary paws.

Our sunny abode for two nights - it was so beautiful there and gave the girls a day to recuperate before heading back to civilization.

Stoic Red.... with a bunch of dirt on her face.

en-Joy-ing the tent

From Granny Blob to Granny Square

2010-10-29T17:51:00.003-04:00

I've been slowly teaching myself to crochet. I bought The Happy Hooker Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet but was having a hard time finding motivation. Then I stumbled upon Meet Me At Mike's Granny Squares 101 tutorial that has videos!! I learn best visually, by demonstration so this tutorial was the best find.... in lieu of hanging out with my crafty friends. The first attempts (pics not shown out of embarrassment) were lopsided little blobs. I was using a different yarn, which kept separating - after about five failed attempts I figured I should switch to something else. Something finally clicked and after two attempts I came out with:

Who knew I could actually crochet something. Now I just need to keep it away from Red, knowing how much she loves my yarn :)

Heart Dog

2010-10-22T13:18:00.003-04:00

Seriously, who could not love that little face.

Whether she's collecting shoes, stuffies, hats.... rubbing herself along the bed, shaking it while we try to sleep in.... sleeping so soundly she sounds like Darth Red.... scrounging for the empty yogurt, peanut butter or ice cream container to lick clean.... or just cuddling up next to me on the couch....

this girl is my Heart Dog :)

Some of the Locals

2010-08-21T17:54:00.003-04:00

While it's sometimes difficult to live out where we are - aka in the boonies - I really do love the spaces we have for walking. Besides the lake, the woods, the quiet dirt roads.....

......we also have some pretty cute critters out here!

Joy and Red love our walks and these critters too :)

The Culprit

2010-07-08T09:55:00.003-04:00

My basil from the Farmers' Market was beginning to look a little holey. Hmmmm....

Can't believe I missed this not-so-little guy when I brought it home!

He's now living in our garden outside, hopefully surviving the heat.....

Farmers' Market Opening Day!!

2010-06-18T21:35:00.013-04:00

I'm absolutely ecstatic that the Farmers' Market opened in Weare today. It is very small - maybe 15 vendors give or take - but I feel like I'm finally getting to know them & it's a nice kick-off to the summer. Plus, they had live music today, which was great! With my crazy work schedule last summer I missed almost every one. This year I'm going to try to make it to as many as possible.

I was able to restart my herb garden, which has dwindled over the years after receiving a spectacular assortment as a wedding shower present. And then Red ate my beautiful basil plant that I picked up at the Farmers' Market last year. Note to self, place herb garden where the puppers can't get to it!

Rosemary, Greek oregano, basil and sage from Warner River Organics

And even more goodies......

Goats milk, oatmeal and tea tree soap from Clayton's Way Farm, apple pie jam (YUM!) by Chase's Country Corner and an adorable craft tote for my niece's 7th birthday present made by Melissa Mellor - all based out of Weare.

Then I headed up to Woodbury's Garden Center here in Weare to pick up some plants to add to our garden. It was really overwhelming! I can't believe how many plants they had to choose from. I picked out two easy plants that will hopefully attract bees and hummingbirds. I hope to add a plant here and there throughout the summer and then plant bulbs in the fall.

Caradonna Meadow Sage (in the back) and 'Twilight' Speedwell

Oh, the irony: Dawn saves wildlife with oil-based dish soap

2010-06-01T18:25:00.002-04:00

Oh, the irony: Dawn saves wildlife with oil-based dish soap

Hidden Toes....sort of

2010-05-06T21:42:00.002-04:00

This is what happens each time Red has her nails trimmed (we use a Dremel to grind them down every few weeks). We get her to jump up on the couch easily enough, it is her favorite spot after all. Since it's usually her turn after Joy, she knows exactly what is in store and attempts to hide her feet. And look up at Daddy imploringly. Like we can't just reposition her! But it is hard to resist this cuteness :)

Newport Getaway

2010-04-22T11:04:00.005-04:00

Just got back from a fabulous five days in Newport, RI with the AVAP5 - we are five friends who met during a year with the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program in NH. I always feel so inspired after our get-togethers and wish we could all live just a little closer so this could be a more common occurrence, as opposed to a yearly reunion. While it is good to be home, sleep in my own bed, see my husband and the puppers.... I am sad today.

Stamped Jewelry GIVEAWAY

2010-04-15T21:02:00.004-04:00

Another great GIVEAWAY courtesry of Linda @ Craftaholics Anonymous!

Stamped jewelry by Lora Elizabeth

My favorite: TWEET!!

Which one is your favorite??

The Lazy Blogger

2010-03-26T17:40:00.005-04:00

Hi, my name is Jen.... and I am a lazy blogger. There, I said it - not that it really matters, it's not like I have all of these eager followers! And, really, it's more that I just get frustrated with the image upload process and therefore avoid posting to avoid the frustration. So here is a post to make up for the last month.

Snowshoeing out on Horace Lake

Snoozing the day away

Playing catch

Enjoying the porch

Collecting boots, as usual

Yogurt treat

A visit from the UPS truck - AKA the Cookie Truck

(we are so sad that our UPS driver will be retiring this year!)

These were really smelly bones, but at least they liked them!

Bag Give-Away

2010-03-25T16:22:00.001-04:00

Cool giveaway at Craftaholics Anonymous.

A Bath.....And a Treat

2010-02-10T14:21:00.004-05:00

Baths for the puppers are pretty infrequent around here - greyhounds are pretty clean. But, Joy was shedding like crazy and Red had some good dandruff going on, so it was time.

It's not an easy task:

Red was quite exhausted after

Rewarded with almost empty peanut butter jars - the trick is to keep one in the refrigerator so that each pup can have one at the same time = no hurt feelings ;)

Winter Walk

2010-01-27T18:23:00.005-05:00

Well ..... a nasty cold kept me from my attempt to post here at least once a week. I'm finally on the mend now! This is a late afternoon walk with Joy & Red from a few weeks ago - before all the rain made it a big mucky, slippery walk.

Recycled Holiday Card Ornaments

2010-01-02T21:15:00.009-05:00

Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com, I love these fabulous Holiday Card Ornaments made from cards we've received over the years. So many of these cards are incredibly beautiful and it's a shame not to keep them ..... but kind of useless to store them away in a box forever. This is a great way for them to be remembered!

From the Martha Stewart tutorial link above The few I've made, so far!

Lots of cards to work with...

Christmas for the Puppers

2009-12-30T13:40:00.005-05:00

Around here, our greyhounds are the kids - so they get all the prezzies:

Big chewy thing for each

New cookie jar from Grammy & Papa (my parents)

Personalized bandannas from Grammy - I'm not so sure that they are very impressed :)

Holiday Decorations

2009-12-16T18:49:00.003-05:00

I had a nice stretch off from work this week and was motivated to decorate the condo for the holidays. This was all skipped the past two years due to the craziness of nursing school .... and the incidental ice storm. I was also inspired by my friend Sarah's cute apartment and her mom's office. I don't have a ton of decorations, but I really like these:

Our mini tree in the entryway

Snowman collection

Wreath my mom made this year for the front door

Penny quilt, Willow Tree angels and holiday cards

Even though we're not really religious, I love this creche from my mother-in-law; it's made from olive wood in Palestine

Another gift from my mother-in-law; a vintage ornament wreath for the back door

Mantle over the fireplace - I really need to find some greenery for next year

A cute little tree my mom made last year with a duck ornament I've had since I was little

Thanks for looking ;)

German Star Tutorial & Giveaway

2009-12-02T19:19:00.005-05:00

I need to get posting on here again - I love looking at everyone else's blogs so I need to share too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

whip up had a link to this, something I'd like to try as holiday gifts this year. we'll see how it goes, it's already December after all! you can enter for a givaway at the blog site listed below.

http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2009/11/1-year-blogging-anniversary-tutorial.html

Peanut Butter - nom nom nom

2009-05-10T21:23:00.004-04:00

Red, you want this?

OK Mommy smells good!

Mmmmmmm!

Mommy, it's all gone, no fair!

Well, I guess I'm ready for a nap then...

Lovely Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:01:00.003-04:00

It was so nice to have Mother's Day off and spend time with my mom. My parents and I took my grandmother out to lunch at the retirement community where she lives. Then my parents came back to my place and my mom and I spent the afternoon gardening. She's so good at it, while I'm a black thumb. But she has so much to teach me, so maybe someday I'll be a super-green thumb just like my mom. We put in a hosta garden behind the condo. The hostas came from my sister-in-law's garden (she needed to move them) so they were free! I just need to mulch and border the garden with some rocks. It was a great day!

There's some irises beside the hose that I put in last week.

My mom & Red ~ so cute!

Synchronized sleeping

2009-04-05T19:37:00.002-04:00

This is a picture of Joy & Red sleeping together last week - they crack me up!

Dog Walk in the Snow

2009-02-22T14:55:00.004-05:00

Today Red, Joy and I went for a nice walk just as the snow started. It wasn't too cold out and the snow was so pretty - all in all a nice walk. These girls are my loves :)

something caught their attention

hurry up Mummy

Some Pics

2009-02-20T18:51:00.002-05:00

My yummy salad for dinner tonight :) Sarah always posts such great food pics, it's really fun...

This is a pic of Red's belly with a piece of Burt's Bees lipbalm label stuck on - we weren't sure which dog had eaten it - here's the proof!!

Another mischievous Red moment - she wants to take up knitting too! :) Notice how she's also helpfully collected a shoe and hat for us - she is such a clown!

Such a Nice Day

2009-02-20T18:04:00.005-05:00

This was my last Friday off probably for a while as I start my new RN job next week. So I decided to have a nice day for myself. I had a wonderful half-hour massage before lunch that was the most relaxing thing in the world. Then I went over to Borders to pick out some books with a gift card - I ended up getting Eat, Pray, Love; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; Interpreter of Maladies; and The Friday Night Knitting Club. It's so nice to have time to read again! When I got home my neighbor Lisa called to see about going for a walk with our dogs; we each have two - it was cold but invigorating. Tonight I'm just relaxing and plan to make a nice salad with avocado, tomato and Annie's Goddess Dressing - yum!!

Jen Berry, RN, BSN !!

2009-01-24T19:55:00.003-05:00

What an incredible week!
First, and most important, we have a great man as president of this country - this is the first time in quite a while that I can say I'm proud to be an American. Secondly, I passed my nursing boards yesterday so I can finally get back to having a life again - no more studying!!

Ice Storm

2008-12-22T15:59:00.005-05:00

Here's what it looked like around our place 10 days ago - now we're buried under 2 feet of snow! Winter is definitely here!!!

Graduation

2008-12-21T14:13:00.002-05:00

I finally graduated last week and finally have power back so I could put some pics up!

Getting Ready

Walking In

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T12:51:00.004-05:00

We had our very first Thanksgiving at our condo this year. We invited Nate's parents and grandparents - so there were seven of us plus three dogs. My parents went out to Colorado this year to spend time with my bro and his family.

I've been a little lax in my vegetarianism lately, as long as it's local, free-range. So this year we got a turkey from Twist of Fate Farm in Dunbarton. I must say the little bit I had was quite deliciouso. We also had pear & blue cheese salad, apple-sausage stuffing (also free-range), butternut squash, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, streusel-stuffed sweet potatoes and cranberry-grape compote. Yum!!!

No one (including me, duh) thought to take a picture of the lovely table or the food - but here's the aftermath and how I'll be spending my Friday after Thanksgiving. Though, I'd rather be cleaning up than shopping on Black Friday!

Best Birthday Gifts Ever

2008-11-19T20:19:00.000-05:00

Recycled glass candle holder made in Ghana. Nate got it at the Green Goods store in Concord!

And some handmade soaps from Afghanistan

My Aunt Diane is a dog-person too!

My mom-in-law picked out this felted bag in Maine that was made in Nepal

I wish I could make things like this!!!

A cool pitcher from my brother Ken & his wife Sue

And some craft fair pressed flowers from my Mom & Dad

Such nice things :)

Why I never have time for anyting else!!!

2008-11-19T20:16:00.000-05:00

Almost Done

2008-11-19T17:54:00.000-05:00

Considering that I finally graduate in 23 days, and being inspired by Sarah's cool Blog, I thought I'd get one going myself. I'll try to start adding pictures and stories, time permitting!!!