The comforts of home

Have you ever felt like you just needed the comforts of home?  Maybe you've been busy with life, maybe you've been traveling, maybe you're having a tough time, or maybe you just feel like you need some peace and quiet, rest, and the warm hug of home.  Whatever the reason, I know we've all felt it.   

 

 

While I love to travel and to take the girls on adventures both near and far, I'm also very much a homebody.  I look forward to the days that I know I have no to-dos, no errands to run, no obligations.  I love a quiet morning at home, especially this time of year, when I can plug in the Christmas tree lights and enjoy the glow of the lights in the darkness of the morning.  The girls are still quiet and not quite ready for the day to start and the world around me is quiet too.  I love a cold, snowy day at home when I don't have to think about bundling up and I don't have to worry about driving on bad roads.  I love a peaceful evening at home, listening to Peaches snore and knowing that I'm warm and safe and so fortunate to have the things that I have.

After a busy weekend running errands last weekend and all of the running around I've been doing to reach my 366 day geocaching streak and to keep the girls busy, I was tired.  The weather to start the week was cold and blustery and we had snow in the forecast, so staying close to home seemed like just what I needed.  But I also have two girls who need exercise and mental stimulation and have become accustomed to adventures.  So I made a plan to spend a little more time at home while keeping us all happy.

 

Our days consisted of lots of kongs filled with peanut butter, watching out the window for anything that moved, and napping, as well as some begging for my lunch.  The girls have a good routine for the workdays and I have watched as Ruby really made some big strides this week settling in more here, showing more of her sweet personality, and learning some new things.  We took walks around the neighborhood when the sidewalks weren't dangerous and one day when we probably shouldn't have due to some pretty slippery conditions.

We got outside mid-day for some fun in the backyard.  Ruby isn't a big fan of fetch and Peaches wasn't thrilled about pulling a ball out of the snow, but I brought out the rarely used frisbee and it was a big hit.  Games of fetch, chase, and tug were all brought on by this dirty old frisbee.  It was nice to get out for some fresh air and fun with them without having to leave our own backyard.

When the weather doesn't allow for us to take long walks, I have lots of fun brain games that we use to keep active little dogs busy.   They are all cheap and easy ways for the girls to eat dinner or have a mid-day snack or treat and many of them were new to Ruby this week.  While I've fed them using the snuffle mats and I have used the licky mats previously, this week I added some other fun things that really made Ruby think.  The first new game we tried was filling an empty paper towel roll with food and pinching the ends closed.  The look I go from Ruby when I first handed that thing to her made me laugh out loud.  She really had no idea what I expected her to do with it, but with a little coaxing and help from me, she eventually figured it out and enjoyed the challenge.  We also played a little search for your dinner one night, but her favorite new game was definitely eating dinner out of a box.

In addition to new brain games and working on mastering some basic commands, Peaches helped to teach Ruby the fine art of begging for vegetables when I am cooking.  She has really become an expert at this task and comes running to watch me any time I head to the kitchen.  Peaches isn't nearly as diligent as Ruby when it comes to being a kitchen helper.

We continued to get a daily geocache, picking caches that were easy and close to home in order to keep my streak alive as I now work toward a 400 day streak.  With the cold and snow, I wasn't in any hurry to get out for any long geocaching adventures, but the weather Friday was mild and beautiful and I had missed getting out into the woods.

Luckily, Fine Park is close to me and had a geocache I hadn't found yet, so we took a lunchtime walk through the woods to get our geocache for the day.  It was a beautiful day to be outside and we had a wonderful walk.  While this park is less than two miles from my house, I have only been there one other time and I don't understand why I don't use it more when I need to get into the woods and away from the world.  

I was able to take advantage of this quiet week at home to get my Christmas cards sent out, to finalize some of my Christmas shopping, to enjoy the decorations around my home, and to eat some good home cooked meals.  It was really a perfect week.

After a very fun-filled Friday, we started with a quiet Saturday morning at home.  We had excessive winds and Spring-like temperatures and while I considered getting the dogs out for a walk while it was warm, the way things were whipping around in the wind, I decided it would be safer to spend the day inside.  We didn't need a tree limb to fall on us during our walk.  

The temperatures fell steadily through the day and we spent most of the day safely indoors. Each of the girls got to help clean out a peanut butter jar, which is a fun activity for them.  Peaches especially loves this job and takes her responsibility very seriously.  There was lot of running around the house and wrestling and plenty of fun games, and the girls settled in well for the evening and slept well through the night, but I know that they are ready for a little more adventure. 

I am so glad I decided to slow down and really enjoy some time at home this week.  It was just what I needed, but I know that the girls are really looking forward to something more today.  It is a beautiful and sunny Sunday here and temperatures promise to be in the mid 40.  That is definitely something we need to take advantage of, especially in Michigan, this time of year.  So we've got some fun planned for our day and I'm looking forward to a little adventure.  I know the girls are too!

I hope you all have a week that fills your bucket.