Hopeful Friday.....

Good morning every one and welcome to Hopeful Friday, hosted by my friend Cielo, at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/ This a weekly post dedicated to positive thoughts and inspirational messages. It is a post to celebrate God! Thank you Cielo for hosting such a lovely post. If you would like more information about us, or you would like to join our group, just click on the above link to reach the official Hopeful Friday web site.....

"God has your path mapped out today and each day that follows. He made your road map long before you were born. All you have to do is discover the next step and have the faith to take it. Walking hand in hand with him, step by step you'll find your destiny and fulfill it."

-It's Your Birthday-

Happy Hopeful Friday everyone!

I hope you day is beautiful and filled with many blessings ♥

Peace be with you......

With warmest regards, Carol

Dogs on Thursday...... Two Diva's and a mall....

Welcome to Dogs on Thursday at http://dogsonthursday.blogspot.com/ This is a weekly post where dog lovers like myself get together to talk about our most precious little four legged friends. If you would like to join our group, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Dogs on Thursday web site........

"Charli come on. Were going to be late. You don't want Sofie to have to wait for you do you?"

"Yes I do. I'm tired of that dog. If you ask me she's getting spoiled. She gets way to much attention. Why does she have to come any way?"

"Now Charli that isn't very nice. Sofie is your friend and I want you two girls to get along. I want you to promise me your going to be a good little girl."

"OK. I'll try but she just better not follow me around."

"Oh Charli"

Last week Rhonda and I took Charli and Sofie to the mall at Partridge Creek. I've written about this mall here in the past because it's one of Charli's favorite places to go. Partridge Creek is a dog friendly mall. It's so much fun to go there! It is an outside mall and I like it because it's a beautiful place to go walking. It's very clean and well kept. There are dog stations situated at various places in the mall just in case your little pooch should have an accident and everyone is very good about cleaning up after their own pets. Just look at the cobblestone side walks. Aren't they lovely? There are even statues of dogs on the green to make your little ones feel warm and welcome on their shopping excursions.....

The mall hosts many activities through out the year like summer concerts and caroling at Christmas time. During the cold weather the hugh out door fireplace is usually lit and the side walks are heated so you don't have to worry about your pooches little paws getting cold. They sometimes even offer free hot chocolate and other incentives. Of course there is always plenty of water available for your furry friends. Near Halloween it is not uncommon to see dogs and sometimes even owners walking up and down the side walks in the mall parading about in their costumes......

There are plenty of tables and benches if you choose to take a break from your shopping to have a snack or something to drink...

Everyone is very friendly, often stopping to talk, share canine stories, ask a question, pet your dog, or let their dog play with yours. However, all dogs must be kept on leashes.

There are pretty flowers and plants every where.

Do you see that sign in the bottom of the window? Well that means dogs are allowed in there. Yep, you can take your dog right into the store with you when ever you see that sign. Most of the stores that allow dogs also have dog treats in jars on the counters. The employees always make a fuss over your dog when you come in to shop and also offer them a treat or two. Charli just loves all of the attention she gets.

The 'I love Dogs' store sells dog clothes, toys, treats, and luggage. You name it and they seem to

have it. They even sell dogs in there.


The store below is the reason Rhonda and I went to the mall. We wanted to take Charli and Sofie to the 'Three Dog Bakery.'

Just look at all of the pastries! You can also get clothes,

treats, toys, and collars in this store to.

As you can imagine Charli and Sofie had a great time in there! Here are our little diva's with they're bags of goodies.

Sofie got pastries and Charli got some Jump' N Sit Bits. They are made with peanut butter and she really seems to like them. Charli is usually very picky about her treats so I was surprised she liked them so much. She gets three a day so they should last a while. They have no added salt, refined sugar, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. The web site is as follows http://www.threedog.com/Default.aspx in case you want to place an order for your special someone or visit a store in your area.

I even did a little shopping for myself. I got a pair of Croc shoes. I've never owned a pair of these before but everyone I have talked to says they are very comfortable shoes.

Happy Dogs on Thursday everyone! I hope all of you have a lovely week. I am posting a little early this week as Charli and I will be out and about during the day tomorrow.

Give all of your sweet little furry friends a hug from us ♥

With warmest regards,

The Festival of Lights Parade and Party.....

The Festival of Lights Parade and Party......

Last weekend our family was invited over to our son Kurt's for the Festival of Lights Parade and a Party. It was so much fun that I thought I would share a little bit about it here with all of you....

Every year, for the past twenty three years, Boat Town U.S.A. has hosted a Festival of Lights Parade but this year was a little different. They decided to change the parade route. Instead of the usual route they decided to have the boats come down the river. As some of you already know our son Kurt lives on the river. He, along with many of the other people who live along the river, decided to host house parties to celebrate the Festival of Lights. I mean there were parties every where!....

Our son has always had an interest in cooking and he made the most amazing baby lamb chops on the grill. He marinated them in olive oil, teriyaki sauce, with salt, pepper, onion, basil and garlic. They were so delicious and tender. Everyone just raved about them. Rhonda and Kurt also served chicken, a variety of cheeses, chips, olives, and lunch type meats. The food was just perfect as well as the company.......

The boats, as well as any houses along the parade route that choose to enter the Parade of Lights contest are judged on creative themes, costumes, lights, and music......

The boats met at the mouth of the river and the coast guard led the parade. The picture above is of the coast guard as it makes it's way down the river with strobe lights flashing, sirens and bells ringing, and fog horns blowing. The people along the river bank also had fog horns that they blew and bells that they rang in response to the boats. Everyone was cheering the boats on. Every house had fire pits glowing and torch lights burning. Some of the people even lit off fireworks. I have never seen anything like it. It was better than the Fourth of July! My camera was acting up again so I didn't get very good pictures but if you click on them I think you will be able to see the boats a little bit better.......


Here come the boats now....
Some of the boats had blow up decorations like you sometimes see around town at Christmas time. All of them had lots of lights. Each boat was playing a different type of music via loud speakers and everyone was dancing....

This boat was my personal favorite......

Do you see the palm tree on this boat?

As I said we before we had a great time and the weather was perfect.....

Charli had a good time too. She enjoyed playing with Sofie, getting extra treats, and just loved all of the attention from the guests as long as they didn't get to close. She only snuck out on the docks once. She knows she is not supposed to do that but she wanted to bark at a muskrat who happened to be swimming by. The fireworks did scare her a little but over all things went very well.....

I just love summer time.... There is so much to see and do.....

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the party and seeing some of the boats....

With warmest regards, Carol

Tea and friendship Tuesday's..........

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Tea and friendship Tuesday's hosted by Charli and Me. This is a fun post that can be filled with pretty tablescapes, teapots, teacups, recipes, personal stories, quotes, poems, and interesting facts related to tea, friendship, or both. It is a place to share anything you would like with a friend! If you would like to join me, just pick up a button, write your post, and then leave a comment here. That way my friends and I will be able to pop over for a visit. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy your visit here. Thank you so much for stopping by.......

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom"

-Marcel Proust-

I would like to take this opportunity to, once again, thank all of you who who have stopped by here at Charli and Me and left such lovely comments. I would also like to thank all of you who have chosen to become followers. I appreciate each and everyone of you. Thank you so much!......

Today I would like to share a couple of things with you that I found at Michael's last week. Well, actually I found them some time ago and I have been waiting patiently for them to go on sale. Last week I was very excited to learn they were sixty percent off. There were only a couple left. I was so happy I was able to get them. I think they are very versatile and I plan on using them in many different ways and for many different things......


The first item is a bird's nest. I think it's just darling! I especially like it because it is made out of polished bronze. My kitchen fixtures, cabinet knobs, and the stand for my glass table in the living room are all made out of polished bronze so it all goes very well together......

The next item is a polished bronze bird cage. I just love anything to do with birds. As some of you know I have them all over my house.

Here they are together. I think the possibilities of what to do with them are endless. What do you think? What are some of your ideas? I would love to hear from you.

A couple of weeks ago I popped over to my friend Judy's at http://justalittlesomethingforyou.blogspot.com/ She had cut these lovely little hearts out of butter and placed them on a plate with a muffin. I thought they were so sweet and special! And what a fabulous idea for a tea table! I immediately went out and purchased some miniature cookie cutters of my own.
If you haven't stopped by to visit Judy I hope you will take the time to do so. She has some of the most amazing and creative ideas here in blogland. That, besides the fact, she is an all round wonderful gal and one of my favorite and treasured friends.

Since I knew you would be stopping by I wanted to have something special for you. I went over to the store and got some sugar cookie dough. Then I went to work creating these delicate and tasty miniature cookies. After the cookies were finished baking and cooled I made a lemon glaze for the tops. These were so much fun to do! I cut out sweet little houses, ducks, hearts, men and women, flowers, and cats. I am thinking that maybe Ryan and I will make some miniature orange cats out of jello for Halloween...


I found a small plate that fit perfectly in my bird cage. I added the cookies and a few lilies from my garden. Please do come and sit down. I'll just take these over to the tea table and we can have a nice visit together.

Happy Tea and friendship Tuesday everyone!

I hope all of you are having a beautiful day......

Blessings to all of you!.....

With warmest regards, Carol

Blue Monday.....

Welcome to Blue Monday, hosted by my friend Sally, at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ A weekly post where some of us blogging buddies get together to share something blue. Thank you Sally for hosting this fun post! If you would like to join us, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Blue Monday web site.....




I know this sounds silly but
I just love mixing bowls. They come
in so many pretty colors, sizes,
and shapes. Of course the color blue has always
been a favorite of mine so naturally my very
favorite mixing bowl would definitely have
to have some blue in it.....

My favorite type of mixing bowl is the large

heavy crockery type. I think they are not only

beautiful but they come in so handy for mixing breads, stuffing, and salads. I just wish all of these bowls were mine....

Although I do have many different kinds of mixing bowls the one pictured below is the one I like best. I purchased it many years ago at Hudson's Department Store. I like it because it's nice and deep. It's just perfect for mixing large quantities of ingredients. I like it so much that I wish I could find another one similar to it....

What about you? Do you have a favorite mixing bowl? A mixing bowl that's perhaps has been in your family for years and you just can't bare to part with? I would love to hear from you.....

Happy Blue Monday everyone!

I hope all of you have a beautiful day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Happy Saturday!......

Good morning everyone! I hope where ever you live you are having a beautiful and sunny day ♥ It looks like rain here in Michigan but it doesn't matter as we are going to be spending the evening with some of our favorite family and friends......
Do you like this whimsical picture of Raggedy Ann and Andy? One of my very talented bloggy friend's Rachelle Miller did this wonderful illustration. I just love her work! If you would like to see more of her other beautiful illustrations just click on the following link...... http://rachellemiller.com/

Happy Saturday!....
With warmest regards,

Hopeful Friday.....

Good morning everyone! Welcome to Hopeful Friday, hosted by my friend Cielo, at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/ This is a post
dedicated to positive thoughts and inspirational messages. It is a post to celebrate God! Thank you Cielo for hosting such a lovely event. If you would like to join us, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Hopeful Friday web site.......





"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD,
all the earth:
make a loud noise, and rejoice, and
sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with
the harp; with the harp, and the voice
of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of
cornet make a joyful noise before the
LORD, the king. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together."
-Psalm 98:4-8-

Happy Hopeful Friday everyone!
I hope you have a beautiful day ♥
Peace be with all of you....
With warmest regards, Carol

Dogs on Thursday......

Welcome to Dogs On Thursday at http://dogsonthursday.blogspot.com/ This is a weekly post where dog lovers like myself get together to talk about our most precious little four legged friends. If you would like to join our group, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Dogs On Thursday web site.........

Good morning everyone! I hope you and your sweet little furry friends have had a beautiful week ♥ Things are never dull around here with our darling diva. Yesterday we went to our favorite dog friendly mall. Charli had a ball visiting with all of the other dogs, and being pampered by all of the people who stopped by to say hello, but that is for another post. Today I thought I would introduce you to our wonderful little grand-animals. We have three son's and all of them have the most amazing and adorable animals. My hubby and I consider all of them our grands and we love them dearly.....

This is Butters our gand-cat. It's not a very good picture of him because it was taken on a cell phone. He's Tom, Amy, and Tommy's cat. When I think of Butter's I think of that fabulous T.S. Elliot poem, 'Mr. Mistoffelees.'
The following is part of the poem......
"His manner is vague and aloof,
You would think there was nobody shyer-
But his voice has been heard on the roof
When he was curled up by the fire.
And he's sometimes been heard by the fire
When he was about on the roof-
(At least we all heard someone who purred)
Which is incontestable proof
Of his singular magical powers:
And I have known the family to call
Him in from the garden for hours,
While he was asleep in the hall.
And not long ago this phenomenal Cat
Produced seven kittens right out of his hat!
And we all said: Oh!
Well I never!
Did you ever
Know a Cat so clever
As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!"
Butters will appear out of no where. He's very shy. You might see him peeking around the sofa and if he sees that you are looking at him he will disappear again with a poof. Sometimes you can lure him out with treats and he will let you pet him, but as a rule you will hear a cupboard, or cabinet close, and you know he's been some where around. Butters loves to travel. He has no problems adjusting to campers, trucks, or homes. He's an all round wonderful cat. My hubby and I just adore him ♥

Next we have our precious and sweet grand-dog Peeper. Peeper belongs to Mike, Anne, Michael, and Ryan. She is the most lovable dog in the whole world! When we pull up at the house she is always right in the front window waiting to greet us. She does this little dance when she's happy where she stands on her back feet and sort of rubs her front paws together. Peeper is a true lap dog. She loves to be petted and adored. She is very gentle, kind, and just an all round wonderful dog! It's so cute the way she barks. She will go a-rooo, a-rooo. We love our little grand-dog Peeper ♥

The latest addition to our family is our charming little Sofie. She belongs to Kurt, Rhonda, and Khory. She is just as sweet as can be. She already knows how to sit, stay, and as unbelievable as it sounds, ring a little bell when she wants to go out. As you can see by her cute little dress, she is going to be another diva. When she runs she looks like a little fur ball flying across the floor. We just love our little grand-dog Sofie ♥

I hope you have enjoyed hearing

about our precious animal family.......

Happy Dogs On Thursday

everyone......

"That's not fair! You didn't talk about me."

"Oh Charli. Don't you be jealous now.

You know I'm always talking about you."

We hope all of you have an absolutely wonderful week!

With warmest regards,