Welcome, Copper!

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Today we went looking for a new dog. We went to the Humane Society--no luck. To Animal Control--no luck. To a pet adoption center--no luck. We were about to despair of finding one. Then we went to PALS and fell in love with an apricot poodle/terrier mix. We named him Copper. He now has a home, and we have a new friend for life.

After a bath, he felt much better. He loves getting petted, brushed, and played with.


Whew! It's been a long, happy day. A nap is in order!


Once again we have a pet in the house, and all is right with the world.

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Witless in Blogdom

Amaryllis "Gran Cru" on the left, "Liberty" on the right.


Amaryllis "Hermitage"


Amaryllis "Masai"

These were all grown by my DH. http://www.sotexplants.com/

I haven't done much sewing this week. My time has been taken up with the care of our elderly relative. I did do some charity sewing with a couple of friends, though. We're making quilts to give to injured soldiers. All I did was straight stitch strips together for rail fence blocks.. Pretty easy, but that's about all I can contribute right now.

I have signed up for another set of postcards, for a celestial theme. I hope to get some work done on those over the next week. I have the design in pattern form and an idea of how to interpret it, and that's a good start. They're not due until April, so I'm not in a big hurry.

We have the primer coat on the bathroom walls, so no more orange paint! The ceiling is done, and today DH and I picked out a lovely blue for the walls, as well as new hardware for the towel hangers and drawer pull. I hope we can get started on that Friday.

Sunday is DH's first day of his new part-time job at a local nursery. I think he will enjoy that a lot more than his last job. He will only work three days a week, at least for now.

The last post was after I had been tagged, and I considered it a good sign that someone was actually reading my blog (even though Morah is a good friend, she still counts in my book!)
But of the seven blogs I tagged, only three even mentioned it, and none wanted to participate. I guess the tagging thing has gotten so prevalent that some bloggers consider it to be the same thing as a chain letter. Frankly, I hadn't even thought of that. I detest chain letters myself, and never pass them on. Maybe it's just that I'm relatively new at this and don't have a large audience. The three who mentioned it were very nice about declining, and I thank them.
It really doesn't matter that no one participated, and I told them they didn't have to. I was really just surprised that I hadn't seen it from their point of view before. I was thinking of it as a way to network and to increase my visibility in blogdom. So from now on, being tagged will still be a compliment in my book, but I won't be passing it on.

Tagged!

I have arrived as a blogger--I've been tagged by Morah
and I'm trying to live up to the honor. So here goes:

THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

1. I have always been painfully shy. As a child I literally hid behind my mother's skirts.
My parents and I went to a Halloween costume party when I was about 4, and our
costumes were great. But everyone guessed who we were because of the child attached
to the lady's skirt. It took a very smart counselor to show me how to gain confidence by
pretending to already have it.

2. One of my first jobs was as a glass cutter in my uncle's aluminum window factory. I have
the scars on my hands to prove it.

3. I grew up on a pig farm. We also had cattle and chickens. My grandparents lived on the
next farm, and I spent many hours helping my grandmother churn butter and mold it.
My dad did truck farming and sold his produce at the local Farmer's Market on Saturdays.
I hated working in the garden. I was "slave labor" in my opinion. I swore I would never
live on a farm again. Now I would love to have a small acreage and be able to grow some
vegetables and raise animals.

4. I had an Appaloosa gelding named Comanche when I was a teenager, but I never learned
to ride him at more than a walk.

5. I would love to take formal art classes, but can't afford to right now. Maybe some day.
I try to develop my own artistic talent, but so far have been frustrated by my lack thereof.

6. I have tried in the last month to teach myself how to knit, using online videos, etc. Not much
luck there either... but I will keep trying for awhile, anyway.

7. I have a collection fetish. If I get more than a half dozen of something, I get an uncontrol-
lable urge to "complete the set." I have hundreds of quilting and sewing books and magazines.
I also have magazines and books for almost every other craft I have ever been interested in,
dating back to needlepoint and crochet from the 70's, counted cross-stitch and plastic canvas
from the 80's, sewing and quilting from the 90's, and polymer clay, jewelry-making, and
decorative painting from the 00's. I have more recipes than I could ever try out, but I
continue to get recipe magazines in the mail and clip them from other magazines to save.
Help me!!!!

DARN WORDWRAP!

I now am tagging these bloggers:

1. Fibermania
2. A Walk in the Woods
3. Exuberant Color
4. Calidore
5. Gr8dame's Place
6. Devonhouse Recollections
7. Posie Gets Cozy

These are 7 of my favorite blogs to read. I hope they take it as a compliment that I have tagged them--that is the intention.


I made 15 Thank You cards today (sorry, no pics.) They went quickly. I used blank cards with pictures punched from old calendars, ribbons, and stickers. I have found cardmaking very relaxing and undemanding. If one doesn't turn out the way I would have liked, I throw it away.
No pressure. I love that!

Now off to let the above people know that they are now IT!

Taking a deep breath

Okay, I can breathe again. The last two weeks have been very, very hard. I kept thinking,"I need to go let Monty inside...." Every time a dog barked down the street, for just a moment, I thought it was him. But at least now I am able to function without breaking down, and to talk about him without blubbering.

This is the memorial spot for both our dogs. As the bougainvillia grows, it will fill the whole corner with purple blooms. DH is also going to plant Resurrection lilies in that area.


I have been able to do some sewing. Below is a picture of the "Sewing Machine Thingee" I made.
I got the pattern here: http://www.cheroldsplace-cheri.blogspot.com/
If I were to make another one, I think I would make it bigger--22" wide and about 28" long. This one is made of two fat quarters sewn together, then turned up for the pockets. Isn't the fabric cute?



Then today I finished a set of "P is for..." postcards for Artsnthemail Yahoo group. I really only needed four, so I have extras. Obviously P is for Pooh and Piglet!


We are in the middle of remodeling our only bathroom--talk about a logistics problem! I have stripped off the wallpaper and sanded the painted walls and the wallpaper paste off. Next (tomorrow) I need to sand the doors and woodwork, then damp wipe everything. DH and I will also go get the primer and the ceiling paint tomorrow, although we may not start painting until sometime next week. I forgot to get a "before" photo, but I'll try to put up an "after" pic when we get it done, which may take us awhile. Working on the only bathroom when there are four people in the house isn't easy.

DH finally quit his job this week. He had only been able to manage working two or three days a month, anyway. He is looking for another job that will get him out of the house, but that he will enjoy a bit more. He has been a nurse for over 35 years, and never thought he would tire of it. But he traveled so much that it was physically difficult for him to continue.

Monty

I have put off blogging about this for a week now. Last Friday night, the 8th, Monty got very sick. We rushed him to the animal hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and put in an oxygen tent. The next day the vet said he seemed to be doing a little better. We went to visit him and he seemed to be struggling to breathe, although he knew we were there and tried to interact with us as best he could. We told him how much we loved him and missed him. We went into another room to await the vet so we could discuss his prognosis, but a few minutes later they told us he was in distress and that they were getting ready to put a tube down him to help him breathe. We told them to stop. He passed away quickly. We are devastated and have cried so much over the past week our eyes are sore.


We had gotten him as a puppy. The breeder told us he was seven weeks old, but when we got his papers we learned he was only five weeks. I carried him around on my chest for three weeks. He lived to be 13 years 8 months. We loved him dearly and will never forget him.

My DH is so sad being without a pet that he wants to get a new dog soon. I'm still hurting. It seems disloyal to him to get a new dog so soon. I won't deny that there is a big hole in our household right now, so we probably won't wait too long.

All our dogs tend to be "Daddy's dogs" since I am the one who ends up giving them their pills, brushing them, and taking them to the vet. They associate Daddy with fun things and Mama with painful things so it's normal that they gravitate to him. So I want to also get a cat--they don't seem to play favorites as much as dogs do.


It is wonderful the way a pet worms their way into our heart and so hard when they are taken from us. I am writing with tears running down my face. This week has been so painful but the years we had with both our Scotties have been worth every tear. We will recover and love other animals just as much as we loved Monty and his mate Maggie--on and on and on.

DH purchased a lovely purple bougainvillia for me as a Valentine's Day gift, and we will plant it in our yard as a memorial to them both. I bought a plaque that says "Dogs leave pawprints on our hearts" which will hang on the fence above the plant.

Goodbye, sweet Monty. You have crossed the rainbow bridge and are playing somewhere with Maggie, and all our other pets who have passed over. We love you all.

Birthday cards and Valentines

These are some of the birthday cards I made this week. I used stickers, photos cut from magazines, and sayings printed on vellum. I discovered that I need to press them with a weight after gluing everything in place, or they warp. Oh, well! Next week I hope to do some thank you cards.


I also put together 22 goodie bags for the Valentine party for my Red Hat group. We are going to play dominoes and card games, and maybe learn to play Bunco. I'm looking forward to getting out with the girls and having a little fun.

I may not be blogging as often as I'd like for awhile. An elderly person in our family is going to be needing a great deal of personal attention, and DH and I are the ones who will have to do it. It is horrible when a loved one has to lose their independence. The person involved is not cooperative, but cannot live alone much longer. (Sigh.) It is an honor to do this, as well as a duty, but will not be easy or pleasant for any of us.

Cards and more cards

I made these cards for a Birdhouse swap for ArtsNTheMail. The background is made of snippets of fabric fused to Peltex and covered with a layer of tulle, then the birdhouses were appliqued. Simple, but different than usual. The backs have a photo of baby birds in a nest box. These will get mailed on Monday.



I finished this reversible table runner this week, too. The upper photo shows the January challenge pattern for The Quilted Table, another Yahoo group I belong to. I used a Daisy Kingdom fabric for the reverse side.

My next project is to make some greeting cards, especially birthday cards. I have made cards before, and I hope to get a lot of them done this week. I enjoy making them, but I have to have a few days clear of other projects so I can spread everything out on my worktable and leave it out, so I usually do two or three dozen at a time. I'll try to post a few pics when I get them finished.