Scarlett's Birthday and Snow

So, I started writing this post way back in the beginning of February. But, life happens. The last two months have absolutely flown by! 

At the end of January, we celebrated sweet Scarlett's first birthday! On her first birthday it snowed. She had a great time playing in it.

Scarlett's one year photo

First snow of the year, on Scarlett's birthday

A couple of weeks later, it snowed again! One snow is unusual down here in Georgia, so we were definitely surprised to be getting more. Even more snow came down this time and it stuck around longer too. Of course both of these snows occurred on my work week. I am fortunate to have Jason who not only has four wheel drive, but also has experience driving in snow and ice! He was able to take me to work each night and bring me home each morning. I didn't have to stay at the hospital like many of my coworkers.

Second snow- You can see there is a lot more on the ground!

It certainly seemed like a long, cold winter this year. We are looking forward to warmer weather!

Family Photo

Jason and I had not had professional pictures made since our wedding, so we decided to have some made for our Christmas card picture this year. 

In October we met our photographer at a beautiful park to make some pictures. She didn't even mind that we wanted our dogs in the picture too. Trying to pose with the dogs was no easy task, especially with lots of people and other dogs around! There are definitely pictures where the dogs are not looking at the camera! But we had some really great ones also.

Here's the one we used for our Christmas card:

Merry Christmas from the Ellis family:

Jason, Kristen, Daisy Duke, and Scarlett

photo by Denise Jones Photography

An Update

Well, it's been awhile. Unfortunately, being busy and having construction workers on our street knock out our cable/internet three times over the last couple of weeks have kept me from blogging.

My last off week we had a lot happening! 

It started off with a great small group on Monday night.

Tuesday, Jason and I took the pups on a long walk. We found a really nice trail near our house that follows a river.

Taking a break by the water

Tuesday night the family went out to dinner to celebrate Charles's birthday. We had a delicious dinner at Olive Garden and even got free dessert!

Singing "Happy Birthday"!

Wednesday was an around the house day. The bug man and the cable man both came by, so I had to be  at the house. I did get out for dinner with Jason and some of our friends at Outback.

Thursday was a really fun day. I got to have lunch with my dad and do a little shopping. I bought a few new fall things at the Loft and got some decorations for the house at Hobby Lobby. That evening after dinner, Jason and I went to a nearby fair. It was free admission night! We didn't ride any of the rides, but we did check out the horse show, petting zoo, tractor display, and have a funnel cake!

Friday was a chill day which was good. Saturday, we headed up to Chattanooga to meet some of my aunts and uncles and cousins for a surprise baby shower for MC. She was definitely surprised, and we all had a good time. 

Diaper Cake

Opening gifts- My aunt made this blanket for Baby C

My aunt also made this cake! It was delicious! All the baby shapes are pieces of chocolate.

Since we were already so close, Jason and I went with Mom and Dad up to their new property. We wanted to check it out! It was pretty grown up so we came prepared with boots, machetes, and a chainsaw attachment for Jason's weed eater. I'm glad we got to see where Mom and Dad will be building their house. It's definitely a nice piece of property in a nice area.

Daddy and I with our tools!

Sunday, we went to church and did our grocery shopping. Then we had some of our friends over for dinner. It was good to catch up with them! 

After dinner we headed over to do a physical assessment with our new personal trainer. She is a very close friend of ours who trains out of her basement. We're going to try to have sessions with her twice a week. I love working out, and I'm excited to be able to make it something Jason and I can do together. Our first official session was Monday afternoon, and it went really well. 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I'm looking forward to the start of another off week, and hopefully finding some time to post about our Disney trip and the wedding we went to this weekend.

Weekend Recap

Our busy weekend has come to an end.

Friday morning I made pancakes for breakfast before Ramsey headed back to North Carolina.

After Ramsey left, Jason and I took Daisy and Scarlett to the vet to get their nails clipped. Jason took our picture before we left. Daisy was in my lap, and Scarlett decided she wanted to be in my lap too!

Jason and I ran some more errands in the afternoon, then we got ready for dinner. I made corn casserole and another blackberry cobbler (my fourth of the summer!). We had dinner at my parents' house with Charles, MC, Aunt Pat, and Uncle Wayne. 

Saturday morning we had MC's baby shower. I didn't get many pictures, but fortunately one of MC's friends is a photographer and she took lots of photos for us!

MC and baby C got all kinds of goodies!

I had to get a picture of these petit fours also. They were so cute with the blue booties on top!

Aunt Pat and Uncle Wayne headed back home Saturday afternoon, but we were able to spend some time with them after the shower. After a little break we headed to baby shower number 2 of the day. My friend, April (who I have known since preschool!), is having a baby girl. She and her baby also got lots of goodies! I have to say, baby girl things are just so cute! I was definitely exhausted by the time a got home.

Sunday morning, Jason and I went to church then had lunch together. It was a gorgeous day, not super hot and with a nice breeze, so we decided to go out on the lake. We also took the pups with us. Daisy loves going out on the boat, but this was Scarlett's first trip. She did really well riding in the boat, but she did not want to go swimming. When we tried to put her in the water she would immediately try to climb back out. She was terrified! Daisy did a little swimming though. She will swim to Jason and then swim back to the boat.

Scarlett hanging out on the boat.

There were lots of sail boats out today!

Sunday evening, Jason's cousin and his fiancé came over for dinner. Jason is marrying them in October, so we worked on their ceremony order and also did a little budgeting exercise.

Monday is here, so it's back to work for both of us. It was really nice having Jason off last week while I was off! Hope y'all have a great week!

Sweet Summer

Well, it's been another busy off week so far.

This summer has certainly flown by, but it has been a good one.

Our friend, Ramsey, has been in town this week from North Carolina. Monday night some friends invited us all over for dinner. We had some delicious food cooked on the Big Green Egg, and then had dessert at a place called Spoonful of Heaven. We had fried Oreos and fried cheesecake!

Tuesday morning we were up bright and early for this months mobile food bank with iServe. It was a rainy morning, but we still had a good turn out for volunteers. Jason's parents always come up to help us out, so we were able to have lunch with them afterwards. 

I made a lasagna with salad for dinner on Tuesday night. My parents and our friend, David, came over and we all ate together. 

After all the kitchen clean up, I looked out the back to see this wonderful view.

A gorgeous summer sunset sky!

On Wednesday Jason, Ramsey, and David went four-wheeling. I took the day to get the house cleaned up and run a few errands.

This morning we got up and headed down to Jason's parent's house. His mom cooked us a big breakfast, then Jason and Ramsey helped Jason's dad with an old truck he's been working on. Daisy and Scarlett had a good time playing with their dogs, Bella and Sparky. We had two tired pups on our way back home.

Tonight we had a big family dinner at our favorite BBQ place. My Aunt Pat and Uncle Wayne are in town this weekend for MC's baby shower. They were able to come over after dinner to see our house and get the big tour.

The week isn't slowing down from here. We are supposed to go check out Baby C's nursery tomorrow and have dinner at my parent's house. Then Saturday is baby shower day. One for MC and one for my friend, April. A busy, but fun weekend ahead!

A Busy Week

This off week was certainly a busy one.

We had something going on every single day!

Monday night we had an iServe meeting. We were able to talk about what's been going on and what is coming up. Our backpack ministry will be ramping back up in a couple of weeks when school starts back!

Tuesday Scarlett got spayed. I dropped her off early in the morning. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to get some cleaning done around the house. I was able to pick her up at 3:30. She was so pitiful when she got home. She could barely keep her eyes open!

Pitiful pup

On Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment and then spent most of the afternoon at the pool. While I was gone, Scarlett was licking at her incision site. When we checked it before going to bed we noticed the top of it was open! I freaked out, of course. It wasn't bleeding or anything, so we decided I would take her in to the vet the next morning.

Thursday morning Scarlett got a staple and a special collar to keep her from continuing to mess with her incision. They didn't have the usual "cone of shame" in her size, so she got an inflatable one more like a neck pillow! She's not a big fan of it, but it does seem more comfortable than the alternative.

Scarlett's special collar

Friday I got to have lunch with my parents. Then, Mom and I worked on the invitations for the baby shower we are throwing for MC next month. After I came back home, I made a blackberry cobbler. Jason and I took dessert to dinner at his cousin's house. We had a delicious dinner and lots of good talk!

Saturday morning we had breakfast with Jason's parents at Golden Corral. In the afternoon we went to the lake for a friend's birthday. It was overcast most of the day, but the sun finally came out after we had our dinner and birthday cake! We did get to see an amazingly beautiful sunset on the way back in. Jason stopped twice for us to take pictures!

Sunday morning we went to church. Then we had lunch and dinner plans with friends. We did take some time in the afternoon just to chill at the house with our pups. It was much needed after going so much this week.

It's back to work this week.

Hope y'all have a great week!

Thankful Thursday

Happy 4th of July!

I think this July 4th is the perfect Thursday to list somethings for which I am very thankful.

1. I am thankful for a loving and merciful God!

Titus 3:5 (NLT) "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

2. I am thankful for the freedom we have in America and all of those protecting our freedoms.

3. I am thankful for Jason.

I could not ask for a more hard working and loving husband.

4. I am thankful for family.

Jason and I are so blessed to have such wonderful families. We love spending time with them.

5. I am thankful for our pups- Daisy Duke and Scarlett.

6. I am thankful for my job.

7. I am thankful for sweet friends.

8. I am thankful for the time Jason and I were able to spend at Whisper Mountain last week. It was a fun time in the mountains of North Carolina!

Some scenes from our time at Whisper Mountain

We are truly blessed.

Hope everyone has a great 4th!

The Story of Scarlett

If you know Jason and I at all, you probably know that we love dogs. We had been talking about getting another puppy since we got married. We considered getting another dachshund but decided on a  bigger dog. Jason always had big dogs when he was growing up. He used to have a Walker Hound, so he was on board when I said I wanted a Blue Tick Hound. We started looking for a breeder around the time we moved into our house and put a deposit on a puppy that was due in March. Unfortunately, this puppy never came to be. After the loss of another litter of puppies due in May, we decided to look for another breeder. We just couldn't find any puppies that would be available before the fall. Then, a friend suggested we look on Craigslist.

We found an ad on a Sunday night for a 4 month old Walker Hound and Blue Tick Hound mix. Jason called about her on Monday morning, and we had an appointment to visit her that same afternoon. It was pretty much love at first sight. She is beautiful and was very friendly and sweet to us. They called her Scarlett, and we decided to keep that name. My mom says we have two southern belles, Miss Daisy and Miss Scarlett.

First Picture

It has been an interesting couple of weeks with Scarlett at our house. We are very used to Daisy, who is already trained. It's been seven years since I've had a puppy. I forgot how high maintenance puppies can be! If I had a dollar for every time I've said "no" to her since she's been home with us, I would have a lot of cash!!

She is a very smart pup though, and she is learning. She has not had very many accidents house, and she almost knows "sit". The biggest problem we've had is her standing up on our kitchen table and countertops! We are trying to teach her that "down" is good!

Jason and Scarlett

Most people have asked us what Daisy thinks of Scarlett. Really, it depends on the day. Scarlett wants to play with Daisy, but Daisy isn't really interested. Daisy is interested in Scarlett's toys though. Daisy has a small chew bone, so we got Scarlett the same one but bigger. Daisy only wants to chew the big one! They have also been fighting over the Kong toy. Jason put peanut butter in it once, and they still fight over it even though all the peanut butter is gone.

Scarlett wants the Kong, but Daisy won't give it up.

We're still getting to know our new pup, but we love her sweet personality.

Here are a few things Scarlett loves:

- her stuffed duck

- treats

- snuggling

- playing outside

- chew bones

On a ride with Jason.