Friday Things
1. There simply are no words adequate enough to express my gratitude for the amazing outpouring of love and support that this community has shown to me and my family this week after the passing of Einstein. Thank you so very much for all of the kind words and sharing of your own stories… I’m reading them all, and they mean the world to me. Einstein had been with me through so many different seasons of life for nearly 10 years, and I miss my buddy so much.
We are working through our sadness and the void that has been left, but we’ve enjoyed looking at pictures of Einstein this week and laughing about some of his crazy antics. We’re giving Duke a lot of extra attention and love. The first few days it didn’t seem that Joseph noticed that Einstein was missing, but a couple of days ago, he pointed to the corner in the living room where Einstein always laid and said, “dog” (he hadn’t been able to say their names yet, just referred to both of them as “dog”). When Joseph eats, he sits in a booster seat at our kitchen table, and for each meal, Duke would stand to his left, and Einstein to his right, waiting for food to fall. Yesterday morning at breakfast, he pointed twice to the vacant spot on his right and said, “dog!” then held out a slice of banana. I’m not sure if he’s just processing the absence, but a part of me believes that Einstein was standing there, as he always did, waiting for some banana to hit the floor.
2. Life certainly marches on, no matter what happens, and my due date is now only two and a half weeks away, which is insane. We taught Joseph how to say “brother” and now when we walk past the new nursery, he points and says, “brother!”. Hopefully he maintains that same enthusiasm once there’s actually another human sharing his space :)
3. We went out this week and bought (what I hope are) the last of the odds and ends that we needed to finish up getting the nursery ready. I need to do one final load of laundry, get the dresser drawers organized, my bag packed, and we’ll be ready to roll!
4. Have you heard about The Power of When quiz? The results give you your chronotype, which explains personality traits, as well as which times during the day you are best suited for certain activities. I took it the other day and it was amazingly accurate for me (I was a Lion), minus the part about being obsessed with physical fitness and nutrition (*ahem*).
5. I STILL cannot fold a fitted sheet to save my life, so I’m loving this video. Totally trying it the next time I do laundry!
6. I was so guilty of many of these trappings in my early to mid-20’s >> How to Ruin Your Life (Without Even Noticing That You Are)
7. I’ve never made a tater tot casserole but I LOVE tater tots, and I see them all over Pinterest! Do you have a favorite one you love? If so, pretty please share your recipe!
8. I’m currently craving a fountain Diet Coke the size of my head. As soon as the baby is born, it’ll probably be the first thing I ask my husband to get for me ;-)
9. I was thrilled to see that season 3 of The Blacklist is FINALLY on Netflix – we’re looking forward to catching up so we’re ready when season 4 begins in a couple of weeks. We’re also excited for the new Keifer Sutherland show – Designated Survivor. Since we we’re big fans of 24, we’re hoping that this show will be good! What are you planning on watching this fall?
10. TGIF! I hope you have a cool and cozy weekend…
Heartbroken for you and all your family. You gave Einstein a wonderful life, and he always knew how adored and cherished he was. Your last act was an act of love, to release him from any pain or suffering. He is at peace now, and one day you will meet him again. Thinking of you, and sending my love to you and all your family. Look after yourself.x
MIchelle, I so looked forward to seeing Einstein and Duke on Friday Things! We lost our golden many years ago, but I kept tearing up whenever I tried to leave you a comment earlier. I’m so sorry about Einstein. I came across this today – and thought you might like it: http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/09/19/dog-with-brain-tumor-hangs-on-just-long-enough-to-see-his-person-married/
Have an easy time with the delivery. Looking forward to seeing the new little one!
Michelle, I’m so sorry about Einstein. Thank you for sharing him with us, and may the pain of his loss morph into much loved memories. Good luck with your delivery and new baby!
Dear Michelle & Family,
I have been sending you prayers of peace. Because I have come to share in your life these past few years, I feel for you and all your family in a way that most of my family does not quite understand. I am grateful that you share your life the way you do, even in these most intimate times. You have such a gift of writing from an authentic place, it’s beautiful.
I wonder about Duke. Do you think he knew about his buddy long before anyone else? I hope he’s doing ok. That picture of him looking out the window really gets me.
And yes, I think Einstein is there, waiting for that banana to drop. xo
Hi Mary, Thank you so very much for the kind words and prayers. I think he may have known… looking back, he often sniffed or licked Einstein’s head. We never thought anything of it, since they both got hit with stray food from Joseph and figured Duke was just licking food off.
Michelle,
Perhaps we should be thanking YOU for your help & good will here on a daily basis. With your assistance we prepare better meals. But you go far beyond supplying delicious ideas, your suggestions & antidotes give us another way of looking at our everyday routine & possibly improving on it. You are like the friend that lives far, far away but always cares enough to brighten our day. More than ever I’m sure you’re grateful to have Duke & the joy he brings to the family. This is an exciting time for all of you as you prepare to welcome Joseph’s brother & we all share in the anticipation of the blessed event.
I was so sad to read about Einstein. I have never had a dog but have lost a number of cats including my last one 2 years ago. I still miss him (although I have 2 girl cats now) he was such a steadfast companion. I hope things get easier…he will never leave your side and I always think of my Pumpkin as still being in my heart.
About those pesky fitted sheets…I fold the sheet lengthwise and put the corner seams inside each other, then fold the sheet in half lengthwise and put the other corner seams inside each other. Then I fold the side and top in and then roll it up. I hope my method isn’t too confusing. It works for me!
I’m still crying with you.
I’m glad that the week has been a little easier – can’t believe that your baby is due so soon! Hope everything goes well with that. I love tater tot casserole but have never made one either….lol
Such a beautiful tribute to a wonderful member of your family, Einstein. As I wipe my tears away for the pain and sadness you are surely feeling, I know for certain that the time will come when the beauty of your memories will surpass this pain and the love you feel for Einstein will sustain you and your family. Thank you for sharing the photos and such heartfelt words.
I cried all over again reading about Joseph looking for “dog” and feeding him banana. We lost our Murphy in June and I still find myself about to call him when food drops, and I’m still expecting him to be at the door when I come home. The void will always be there I think, but hopefully get less painful as time goes by. How exciting that you’re almost due! So many new, happy memories for your family to make! Blessings to you and yours!
It’s funny before I read the post I was going to ask how Joseph was dealing with Einstein’s absence. Death is hard for them to process and unfortunately it leaves our hearts open and aching. I’m excited fir you that’ it’s almost baby time! Having the new little one will help keep you busy and pouring all your love into him and Joseph will help heal your heart. Can’t wait to see pics of the new little one, I know he will be gorgeous!
I definitely feel like Einstein’s spirit is still there with you. What a beautiful story of Joseph pointing out Einstein’s perceived absence. He’s definitely very perceptive and aware at a young age. It’s so sweet. And like you said, perhaps Joseph sees or senses he is still there, waiting to catch the food he drops. <3 And it sounds like you are doing so well introducing Joseph to his new little brother already! That's awesome that he already associates the word brother with the nursery. I'm so excited to virtually meet the little guy!
I am so sorry for your family’s loss, I read the sad news to my husband, through my tears, we lost our malamute of eight years one year ago. They are a wonderful gift. I said it took us a year to get over it, but my husband said we are still not over it. We got two new puppies, that just turned one year old, we love them so much. We share you love loss.
I am so sorry to hear about Einstein. Losing a fur member of the family is one of the hardest things. I do however believe that Joseph did see him standing there. I believe Einstein is watching over you and always will be. I know that might sound crazy. We lost our beloved beagle Skippi last year on Labor Day (2015). It was a total shock to us, with no warning and in less then 48 hours. She was 13 and our families everything. I believe she is still with us every day and on her 1 year passing date I was walking through our living room and there in the sun light on the floor was one of her hairs. It’s like she knew we needed to know she was still with us. I will be thinking of you and your family as you heel from this terrible loss our your fur baby.
I’m super impressed that Joseph has learned “brother” & is even associating it w/ the nursery. That’s one smart kiddo!
This is the tater-tot casserole I love:
http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2013/08/19/sloppy-joe-tater-tot-casserole-2/
That sounds so good, thanks for sharing!
Michelle, you will never forget Einstein. Have mixed breed pup here who belongs to my husband but he has congestive heart failure and is in the hospital. He is chewing up everything. Think his adult teeth might be trying to come in and it is causing him pain. I have never been able to fold a fitted sheet either. Have a sister in law who can you will never see one wrinkle. Videos have not helped me. You only have a short time to get ready for the baby boy and hope that goes well.
My tater tot casserole is one I learned from my MIL, which was my husband’s favorite meal for a long time.
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained (salt and pepper to taste)
1 pkg Lipton Onion soup mix
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 bag tater tots
After browning and draining ground beef, dump into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the onion soup mix evenly over ground beef and then spread the mushroom soup over that. Arrange the tater tots on their ends around the entire dish (my MIL says you arrange them like soldiers shoulder to shoulder in order to get more tots on your casserole). Add any extra tots in the bag to the top as your testing tots.
Bake at 425 for 30-35 minutes or until your tots are as crispy as you like.
Ok, now here’s my changes to the original recipe:
I find Lipton soup mix salty and I don’t love how artificial it is. So instead, I sauté some onions (about a half an onion, diced) in a bit of olive oil, then add 1-2 cloves minced garlic and sauté until the garlic is fragrant. Then I add the ground beef to brown with salt and pepper to taste. Drain any fat before the next step. (Sometimes I add a few shakes of parsley flakes here). Next I add maybe a cup of beef broth and simmer to reduce until it’s sort of thickened. Then proceed with layering but don’t use the onion soup mix. Bake as before.
Thank you for sharing!!
Michelle,
Such a sweet photo of Joseph and his furry buddy. I want to say that I have revisited your beautiful tribute a few times this week. The lead photo of Einstein is just perfect. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting him, I can tell from the look in his eyes that he was a very special dog and that his soul is shining through.
I also wanted to say that I firmly believe children see things that we, as jaded adults, do not. I have no doubt Einstein is with you but just not visible to you. I read a very interesting article a number of years ago that spoke to the belief that young children are still very close to the source of their creation…close to heaven.
Once they take on human form, they are still able to see pure souls no longer in the physical world. Maybe Einstein returned to your home after a few days and Joseph “sees” him watching over the family. Maybe it seems a bit far out but …
FInally, I don’t know how “crafty” you are but I as an early childhood educator, I would highly recommend creating a book about Einstein to read to Joseph. You clear have tons of photos and a gift for writing. It would be so creative and so healing to put together “The Story of Einstein: Best Dog Ever” ( suggested title) as a picture book to read to Joseph and his little brother. I know you will be super busy in the near future but maybe someday…a few years from now…it would be a fun project.
Such a cute idea Nancy! My 3 young kids still miss our Great Pyrenees who died suddenly of cancer last year. The book would bring such happy memories to all the family.
Thanks! These days with all the various options computers have for creating personal products as well as the various websites that offer options for creating books using personal photos/text, I just think it would be a great way to share some very special memories over and over again. I would guess such book could become a favorite bedtime story.I hope you give it a try as well.
I clicked submit before I extended my sincere sympathy for loss of your dog.
Nancy, Loved hearing about that article you read, and thank you so much for the suggestion for the picture book. It’s a fabulous idea!
I am so sorry to hear about your beautiful pup. I wanted to share one of my favorite poems. God Bless!
I’ll Meet You In the Light
I know that you can’t see me, but trust me I’m right here.
Although I’m up in heaven, my love for you stays near.
So often I see you crying, many times you call my name.
I want so much to lick your face and ease some of your pain.
I wish that I could make you see that Heaven indeed is real.
If you could see me run and play, how much better you would feel.
But our loving God has promised me that when the time is right,
You’ll step out of the darkness and meet me in the light.
Written by Maureen Bauer
Oh this is beautiful, thank you so much for sharing, Christy. xo
Like your other followers I too cried when I read your note saying that Einstein had cancer. And when I saw your blog on Monday I cried again. I love following the antics of your family and like your other followers feel like we have a friendship. We just lost our 12 year old border collie/ lab rescue dog in July from cancer, and of course all the sorrow came back when I read your note. Even though we suffer when we loose them, I wouldn’t change a moment having them in our lives. They are family and from the moment they enter our lives, they are fully entrenched in our hearts. My sons are grown now, but they have always grown up with a dog in our home. Soon the pain will not be as intense, but they will always have a piece of your heart. I once read that a child said that dogs only live a short time, because they are perfect when they are born and don’t need to work so hard to reach heaven. I believe that is true. Thinking of your family.
Michelle- I like all your other readers, have never met you, but feel like I know you through your blog and IG feed. I also cried when I read Einstein passed. I gasped when I read he was sick. I felt for him when Duke entered the picture lol. And loved hearing your stories about him from the beginning. I too like many others have experienced losing a fur baby. Its devastating. Lots of hugs to you and your family. He is shining down on all of you for sure. I wish you a speedy delivery and lots of sleep!
I’m so sorry for your loss! We went through something similar with our boxer dog a few years ago, so I know how tough it can be. Our pets are not “just animals”, they are family! I’m going to miss seeing pictures of Einstein on your blog.
Take good care during this difficult time!
Michelle and family,
So very sorry about your beautiful Einstein. There are no words except to say our hearts are with you. We have gained and lost many furry pup friends over the years. Much laughter and many tears, but always, always the happiness of
having loved and known each one. Remarkable animals, there are no two personalities just alike and they stay forever in our hearts.
Prayers for an easy delivery, and love for your little family.
Soooo very sad and sorry for you at the loss of Einstein. My heart aches for you as it brings back memories of my Golden, Gunther, who was our fur-baby for almost 16 years!!! There really are no words…..just know I am thinking of you and your family….and have enjoyed so much the photos and stories of Einstein these past years and look forward to more Duke stories in the future.
Michelle, I am just now finding out about Einstein since I only see the Friday posts. I am so sorry and saddened to hear this and I am crying with you, I’ve come to know and love Einstein myself, I’ve read your posts for about 2 years now and always loved to see the pictures you posted. I know he was so near and dear to your heart and so loved. He lived a happy and healthy life and you and your family gave him as much joy, as I am sure you gave him. My own dog is getting older now and I see the effects age has on him everyday and it’s sad to see and think that one day I will have to tell him good-bye, he was just a crazy little puppy a short while ago running in circles and now he can barely get up to go outside for his walks. On another happier note, I am so happy you are getting to welcome you new little guy soon!!! Congratulations!!
Michelle, there seems to be no words that seem to be relevant when we lose a fur-baby. We have to go through the process in our own way. Einstein was loved and he loved! He will always have a place in your heart. We lost our Buster-Boy(BB), a 14 year old Shih-Tzu in March…one day he was his crazy self, the next day he wasn’t. We had rescued another Shih, Gracie, 2 weeks before we lost BB. I swear BB is still here with us as Gracie develops some BB habits, we lovingly call Busterisms.
I think Einstein is there. We heard my Grandma’s Spunky snoring from the corner where his bed was for quite some time after his death.
On another note, my son was not quite 2 when my daughter was born. He liked her for about 2 days and then she started cramping his style. He would stand at her bassinet, wave and say, “Bye bye baby”. I think in his little mind he figure that people leave when we say “Bye bye” so he’d just tell her that to make her go away!
Michelle, I came across a post not too long ago about the trials of folding fitted sheets. That post suggested putting those sheets in a matching pillowcase and not worrying about folding them perfectly. I decided, why not put the flat sheet folded sheet and the other pillow case in the same pillow case and tuck it neatly on the shelf and when you are ready to change sheet you just pull a pillowcase down and you have everything that matches all at once and no one has to worry about your fitted sheet not looking for perfect on your shelf. It’s been working for me and I shared it with all three of my girls and they loved the idea.
Can’t wait to hear about your new arrival! When you were pregnant with Joseph, my middle daughter was also pregnant with her little girl. She is also due in the next two weeks. Such exciting times! Blessings to all!
Oh Michelle. Struggling to put into words how sad I was to learn about Einstein. The infamous “been there, done that”. It was terribly, terribly hard for my husband and I when we had to make that decision for our dog. Knowing that it truly was the best thing to prevent his suffering is what made it bearable. I remember ardently thinking “nope, no more dogs. Can’t stand this hurt…” Well, that stand changed when I looked into the eyes of the sweet dog beside me now. *s* Thank you so much for sharing yourself, your family and those precious furry babies. Feel like I know them well! Maybe that is why this tugs at my heart so so much. Take care of you!
Michelle, I was able to bring myself to comment on Monday after Einstein passed away. I know that heartbreak all too well. I always send your blog to my husband on Friday so he can see the pics of your boys. I debated all day on Monday deciding if I should share that post with him. I finally did and it broke his heart too. Einstein so reminded us of our Golden, Lexi, who passed away in 2009. She was the sweetest dog and my close companion. We have never been able to bring ourselves to get another dog-she was so loving & it just hurts too much. I hope Duke fairs well without his buddy. You & your family are in our prayers. I’ll bet this new baby will have a little something extra special in him as Einstein has probably passed a piece of himself along. Read “Dog Heaven” by Cynthia Rylant. My friend gave it to me when Lexi passed away and I’m sending it to another friend who’s 2 Golden’s passed away recently (Jan. & July). Those 2 were my “grand Dogs” as I used to watch them as my friends traveled. I know you will always miss Einstein, but enjoy your wonderful memories. Best Wishes on the birth of your new baby. May it be a quick, easy delivery.
Hi Michelle,
I hope you and your family are doing better. The loss of a pet is never ever ever easy and you feel like the pain will never go away. It’s hard. I’ve been there many times. Just know that we’re all thinking of you and truly understand what you’re going through. Thank you for always posting wonderful pics of your family.
Debbie
Hi Michelle,
I still start to cry when I read your beautiful writings about the wonderful Einstein. I hope and pray that with time, this loss becomes less difficult for all of you. I absolutely believe that Einstein is still with you…. especially since in your blog you asked him to continue to watch over Joseph…and that he still wants to share your little guy’s banana. Much love to you and your beautiful family.
Linda
I meant to write earlier this week to let you know how very sorry I was to hear about Einstein. Such a handsome boy and you can tell he loved Joseph. And I bet he really is still there, waiting for his bananas.
I missed your post on Monday. Words cannot express. .. I will miss seeing his handsome face every Friday as I’m sure you will every day. Now I regret forgetting the tissues on the counter. Hugs and many thoughts for to and your family. I feel the same as Joseph.
Beautiful photos of your doggie here, once again, so sorry for your loss.
Rxx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I am crying as I write this as I cannot possibly imagine what you must be going through. I have been following your blog religiously for several years now and I was absolutely heartbroken when I found out that he was diagnosed with cancer. I actually didn’t think I would have the heart to come back here because I was dreading this moment but I just couldn’t stay away. I have 2 dogs myself and I cannot imagine a world without them.
Thank you for sharing this with all of us. He was extremely loved and I’m sure there was never a moment that he didn’t feel that. Please know that you are not alone and that you have thousands of fans who support you and are continously praying for you.
Rest in peace Einstein and I hope you are having the time of your life up there!
Oh, Michelle — I cried when I read your post on Monday. So sorry for the loss of your fur baby. My pup is the same age as Einstein — and I really felt for you and your family.
Sounds like you’re ‘nesting’ – so your littlest one will be here soon. Hope everything goes smoothly for you. Sweet Joseph will be great with his little brother until he starts to get into Joseph’s stuff. :)
Thank you for your wonderful blog and sharing your amazing photos.