1. Amber turned 8 years old on January 1.

2. Amber has a keen sense of hearing, she can hear a Cheerio drop in the kitchen from all the way across the house. It’s pretty impressive.

3. Amber is a rescue dog. She was abandoned as a puppy by her “owners” and found by my sister’s mother-in-law, who took her in. At the time Amber joined her family, she had 5 other large dogs, some of them rescues as well. The first time I visited her home, I was in awe of how well behaved her pack of 6 dogs were as they greeted us, she has a gift.

4. Amber was originally my mom’s pet. When we met her, we were just visiting with no intentions of bringing home a dog. I fell in love with Amber instantly, and insisted that my mom adopt her (I was pregnant at the time and a dog was not in my plans at all). I was so happy when my mom made Amber part of the family.

5. Amber came to live with us 3 years later. I went to visit my mom one day while my husband was away on a business trip for a week. Amber loved visiting my house and being with the kids, so I “borrowed” her for the week to keep me company since my mom had been working a lot and wasn’t able to spend as much time with her as she would like. Amber decided she wanted to stay and live with us and everyone was okay with it.

6. Amber insists on daily belly rubs and back scratches. It’s part of the deal if you’re a guest in our home, she’ll give you a few gentle nudges to make sure you don’t forget.

7. Amber has manners. She doesn’t jump on you. She won’t bother you when you’re eating either. She just stares. And watches. And waits. Then she makes sure the floors and chairs are free of any possible crumb of food particle that could have been dropped by us. She likes to help out. I guess we can be messy.

8. We have deemed Amber the Director of Security of our house. Beware of dog. She’s our protector and she is very loud about it when she needs to be.

9. Amber is part Fox Red Retriever. She likes to run, fetch balls and gets excited about people me on bikes. She is obsessed with car rides. She hates water and wants no part of it. She doesn’t like to get her paws wet in the grass either and has been known to hold it in for over 18 hours if it’s raining. Crazy girl.

10. Amber enjoys singing. She will belt out a nice long howl for us every now and then when the blender is running, or the rare occasion she hears a fire engine come by. It’s a treat.

11. Amber is my daily companion. She keeps me company any time I’m working in the yard or in the garden, she loves to be outside in the sun and in the (dry) grass. She snores naps nearby while I’m working on my laptop. She’s always just a few feet away. Especially when I’m cooking.

12. I may be biased, but if you’ve met Amber, you may agree. Amber is the best dog ever. 😉

The post Fun Facts About My Family’s Four-Legged Friend appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

It’s been a good weekend. I started a new book, Emily Griffin’s Where We Belong, and tried a new (to me) wine (love!).

Amanda’s backyard monsters totally put a smile on my face this morning.

I spent some time with my dear grandparents listening to “living in Sicily” stories. (Brought them this for dinner too!)

I started a Go Gators Pinterest board. And I feel the need to start getting my orange and blue accessories in order. On a hunt for matching flip flops and tops for Gina and I. (Anyone else excited about college football season around the corner?)

I went out to breakfast with the fam this morning and ate a delicious Market Skillet Hash topped with two poached eggs that I plan to recreate at home sometime this week. Mmmmmm….

I’m so not crafty but have been craving creativity lately…this coloring black and white photos activity caught my eye and I think they would make the coolest cards.

I don’t know what’s got into me but I’m feeling a little obsessed with wreaths, and am thinking of DIYing some of my own (a Gator one? Halloween? loving this one too. and this one.) I think Molly might have sparked this obsession with a picture of her new Gator wreath she made herself, and of course I can’t find the picture she posted to show you.

And thanks to my SILs, I am now a proud owner of my first Boney Bunch pieces. Say hello…

I’ll leave you with some love and a SMOOCH from Amber. Have a great week!

Oh and PS…I’ll be giving away a little blender later on this week, so stay tuned!

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