He's gett'n big

Our 3 pound puppy is not so tiny anymore! We were told he would be between 6 & 8 pounds. Well, he's 5 months old and weighs 8.5 already! I think he's taking after his poodle mama. Yes, he is a Yorkipoo, not just a Yorkie.
I was asked what we named him. Oh my, that took days...it's serious business y'all. Thinking that Yorkies are from the UK I thought an English or Irish name would be fitting, such as: Oliver, Murphy, Brody, Monty, Conley, Brady, Tanner...y'all get the idea. Then we talked about names because he's little: (mini) Cooper or Tim bit/Timmy (OH Canada!) from Tim Hortons which we loved in Michigan. His original nickname is Little Bit, which we still call him from time to time. Sissy liked Toby. SO many names. Funny thing, I had a ton more picked out, but they were all GIRL names thinking we'd be getting a female puppy. God had this little fella hand picked for us and he suits us just fine.
OH...his name?

We were on our way to the park and Little Man had him ready to go. I thought it was precious how he wanted BENJI to be buckled up just like he was. I took his picture and then explained why keeping Benji this way was not a good idea. Benji sat right between the kids the entire drive...an entire 12 minutes. What a good boy! I think he's gonna be a good little traveler. (Yep, the kids choose Benji...then weeks later they realized it was the same name of a dog in a movie. Funny, to me Benji and dog are synonymous.)

What did you do on the first day of SPRING?

You can actually drive on the beach at this spot. This photo shows the last place you can enter with your car. We like this area of the beach, but choose not to park on the beach, but in the near by lot. We always walk south to find a spot, which is away from the cars. This tends to be a less crowded area and mostly "locals"...which I am now, right ?!?

I was told this is a cannonball jelly fish. They say you can pick it up from the round part. As you see, this photo is taken while it is still on the sand! Ever been stung by one of these? I'm a wee bit afraid of these little fellas.

Here I am soaking up the late afternoon sunshine during low tide. The water was a bit chilly, but not chilly enough to keep my toes dry! My hubby caught this shot of me. I was actually gazing into the setting sun thinking about what an amazing God I serve. So much has happened in the past year and He has been faithful. I would take my eyes off of Him to focus on the details to see how I could solve or fix the issues. Well y'all, HE is in the details which brought my focus back on Him...and I am thankful.

This is how we spent our first day of Spring! What did you do?

My Irish Soda Bread

Here is my Irish Soda Bread...the "my" means it is my recipe! It's a family favorite. I think it goes great with a cup of tea.

March 17th also means SPRING to me. Flowers start blooming this time of year. I'm sure my daffodils in my Michigan garden are blooming...I miss them. Bulbs don't do well in Florida. I took this picture on a bike ride the other day. I have no idea what it is, other than pretty!

Happy Spring Y'all !!!

What kinda COKE do you want?

I grew up in Arkansas and I always heard..."What kinda Coke do ya want? We have Pepsi, Sprite, orange and rootbeer." I knew other places called it "pop" or "soda" but in Arkansas it was called "Coke" even if it was a Pepsi or a RC Cola! Growing up I seriously thought it was just a quirky Arkansas thing.
By reading y'alls comments, I see that many other Southern states say the same thing. I've been away from Arkansas for many yrs now and wonder if they still call all colas a "Coke" ?
I loved reading y'alls comments on my last post...thanks for sharing!

Many Southerners say this Coke IS the "real thing" (World of Coke IS in Atlanta...been there) and refuse to drink Pepsi. I like Coke, but would choose a Pepsi over it any day. Well, actually, I'd rather have a cup of tea. However, I must have a "Coke" when I have a burger & fries! Other than that, it's sweet tea for me.

Is it Pop or Soda?

There are mixed reviews on whether or not this part of Florida is Southern. Everyone has an opinion. In the short amount of time here I have met all kinds of people. I decided I'd listen and see if "they" say pop or soda. These photos are from the same "Southern" central FL town as the photos in my last post. This shop owner says Soda. What do you say and where did you grow up?

Y'all know I love tea, but I do drink coffee and really like visiting coffee houses. This little coffee house is actually down an alley way. Look for it if you go to Mount Dora. See the restaurant next door? I hear it's one of the best in town. It's called the Goblin Market.

The last two shots are of a new favorite place to relax. It's called One Flight Up. It has coffee, tea, wine and much more. They have a food menu, but I usually get dessert. I love their carrot cake! They have created cozy areas, a common area and this outside, one flight up, patio. They chat with you as if they've know you for ages. They serve up Southern hospitality. You must stop here when you go to this "Southern" town in central Florida. I'm not sure if they say pop or soda at One Flight Up...I'll pay closer attention next time I'm there.

"Southern" town in central Florida & TEA

Sissy could hardly wait to check out this historic B&B...she's almost running. Don't y'all love the YELLOW on this house?!? It makes me smile.

Found this darling English cottage tea room, but as you see, it was closed. I will be returning.

Here is another Tea room ~ restaurant I must check into as well. What a lovely "Southern" town I have found, here in the heart of central Florida!

Our Christmas puppy!

For some reason the puppy liked sleeping in this door way. I thought it was odd, because it's an over sized door way into the kitchen from the formal areas. Little Man thought he looked cold, so he got his quilt off his bed and snuggled him up right there on the floor.

Is this little fella not precious, or what y'all ??? He's stolen our hearts.

Here he is now a massive 5.2 lbs. at 3 months old. He goes to the Vet next week for another round of puppy shots. It will be fun to see what he weighs. We were told he should be between 6 & 8 pounds fully grown...we shall see.

Mini tour of my FL sub

Well, guess the title of this blog should really be...Bike ride to the river, but you really did get a mini tour of the neighborhood...a nature tour ; ) The river is part of the neighborhood. That's one thing I like about this sub, it's full of nature. As a matter of fact...I think I heard a black bear in my back yard tonight!

Update

We are here. Whew. Life has been a whirlwind since the move and I have been away from blogging. This post is all over the place, but I wanted to update y'all a little. It's looks like we might have a buyer for our Michigan home. Pray that all works out with this possible buyer!

The last day the movers were here was my birthday. Hubby and I snuck away to a neat local restaurant for lunch. It was Nov and I'm in a sleeveless shirt. I considered that a birthday gift all on its own!

Boxes, boxes, every where! I still have boxes sitting around...ugh. (but not these...you can get in and out the front door ; )

I think it's my fault Florida had that cold snap! Opps...sorry y'all !

This was taken from a Disney parking lot. I'm looking forward to more amazing sunsets while living in Florida!

We spent my sons 7th birthday here...so beautiful at Christmas.

Moving to Florida this week

Seeing Palm Trees in front of the Cracker Barrel seems funny to me, but I'm thankful that Cracker Barrel is down there!
The movers come tomorrow to pack and we will be in Florida by the end of the week. We had two showings this weekend on our home. One buyer has driven by twice since the showing. If this is the family for our home pray with me for it to happen!

We hung out in the front some too. Here is Little Man taking an ipod break from his bike ride.

I'm gonna miss my back porch area! It's been a special place for me while in Michigan. My Michigan friends always said..."How did you get such a Southern home up here?" My simple reply was..."God."

My Last Fall in Michigan

Since I've been in Michigan, Autumn is usually the BEST season, by far, but not this year. We had very few sunny days...mostly gray, gloomy and cold. It will seem like Summer to me when I get to Florida! The move is getting closer and the "to do" list is getting longer! Keep us in your prayers during this transition time. We are all very excited, but it is bittersweet for the kids.