I may have lost my mind...

My dear husband has been after me for months and months to get another puppy. He thought Riley needed a live-in playmate. I had no desire for another dog. Riley is the sweetest little boy ever, and I was more than satisfied with him. But hubby kept after me, and after me, and after me. And finally wore me down. I may have actually lost my mind, but nine days ago we added Ruby to our family.

Ruby is now a 9 week old cockapoo puppy. She is from the same breeder as Riley, and is as cute as a button. But why is it I don't remember only two short years ago, when Riley was a baby? I didn't remember the needle sharp teeth that like to sink themselves into my ankles. I didn't remember the sleep deprivation that is much like that of a parent of a newborn. I do remember the house training and how you have to keep a constant eye on the new little one, in order to TRAIN YOURSELF to take them out before they potty on the floor.

So, if I am gone for long periods of time without writing now, I have a legitimate excuse. I am either in a sleep coma because I am exhausted, taking the pups out for a potty run or sitting in a corner, slowly rocking myself back and forth, trying to come to terms with what I have done. 

So, on that note, I will leave you with a picture of our new bundle of joy. I am off to try and figure out a new name for my blog. Somehow it doesn't seem fair to leave Ruby out of it, so I need to change it entirely. But you know me, I have to give it some thought to come up with something clever.

Mary

Puppy Mama and Doggy Drama

OK, I will be the first to admit that I am totally, head over heels in love with my sweet little dog. I have always been the kind of pet owner that makes their companion animals family. He isn't just Riley, a dog. He is Riley Rogers, a full fledged family member; Daddys little man, Mommy's baby boy...that sort of thing.

A short time ago, one of my daughters asked me one of those what if questions. What would I do if I had to choose between killing her or killing Riley. Silly, right? But she wanted an answer. I didn't have to give it much thought, and my answer wasn't what she was expecting. I told her I would choose to kill myself, because killing either one of them was not an option.

Anyway, on to the latest drama. A few weeks ago, daughter #3 moved home for the summer, bringing along her kitty, Charlotte.

In my younger days, I was a cat lover. I had my Siamese, Tammy, for 16 1/2 years, from elementary school into young adulthood. She was my baby. Since I have grown older, I have morphed into more of a cat liker. Don't get me wrong though, I have two grandcats, and I love them. I just only like love them. But that is, I think, partly because they are not the kind of kitties that give me the warm fuzzies, unless it is their fur on my clothes. They don't purr-purr all over me and want to be held. They snarl and hiss when I look at them and make me feel the need to wear a protective covering over any vulnerable body areas that might be exposed.

Since taking up residence in the downstairs area, Charlotte has not ingratiated herself into Riley's once happy home. In fact, they have had a couple of close encounters of the not-so-good kind, involving lots of barking, hissing, yelping and mayhem. The end result, Charlotte could basically give a s#*t, because she's a cat. That's just how they are. Riley, on the other hand, has been left a quivering mass of scared to death pooch.

Seriously. He was a shy pup, scared of a lot of things before. Now he is afraid of his own shadow, jumps at the least little movement, fearing a sneak attack of the nasty feline variety and has had to start on puppy Prozac to deal with anxiety issues. How do I know he has anxiety you might ask? Well, he started trying to self-comfort by licking. He settled on the front of his little right paw, and licked it until he nearly had it raw. I started covering it, spoke with the vet, got his prescription and started his meds, all in the hopes of keeping him from hurting himself any more. And that require constant supervision. Because even though his leg is wrapped, he'll sneak around a corner and start in on it, or now he has moved up his leg a bit looking for new blood!!

Even though my girls have grown up, worrying about them never stops. They are all three pretty well self-sufficient and capable of handling what comes their way. Being empty-nesters last fall, the biggest share of my momma coddling started going to Riley. He is my baby, my little boy, my puppy love. His shy demeanor only added to his sweet little personality. Now that he is scared to turn around, it breaks my heart. I am just hoping that I can get him through until later in August, when Kitty-zilla downstairs will move with her Kitty-mamma to a new home, far, far away from Riley's House of Horrors!

I have stocked up on puppy leg wrappings, wound care medications and peanut butter to hide the Prozac capsules in. I'm doing my best to keep Riley's worst nightmare away from him. I just hope and pray that once his nemesis, Charlotte the Attack Cat, is gone, he'll return to the happy-go-lucky puppy we had before. Because by then, I think I am going to need some sort of self-soothing technique like drinking, or my own prescription for happy pills!

Mary

Trash to Treasure...

I think the saying, 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' really is true. What may have gone past it's point of usefulness for me does not mean that someone else might not see a myriad of their own possibilities for it. So here are two of my latest repurpose projects, which will give my backyard and patio area some fun this summer.

First take an old baker's rack off of Craigslist. For the older couple selling this, it was no longer serving any purpose. And, having a friend who had just turned a different style of shelf into a plant stand for her home, I knew what I was going to use it for. My sweetie took off the wooden section that was so weathered and did some sanding and minor repair work for me. (My asthma gets me out of many of these kinds of jobs!) Then, a sweet friend had paint I could use to give it new life. And now I have a great stand on my patio for plants and flowers!



(For those of you who don't spend any time searching through Craigslist ads, you really should! There are great things to be found on there!)

My second treasure is so unusual! I love it, and yes, it was another Craigslist find. It is some sort of old fireplace insert and stand, made out of the heaviest cast iron ever! Poor hubby even had to use a wheeled cart to move it! Again, he applied the muscle using a wire sander to take off the rust, and then painted it using a nice black satin Rustoleum product. It now is in a place of honor, or at least the place where it's going to stay, because it's too heavy to move again!



I still have a few more plants to get repotted and then the back yard should be all set for our summertime enjoyment! We added new patio furniture this year and a huge new windchime for fun. Come on over and visit. Cold beverages are on us!

Mary

I've been a bad, bad blogger...

Wow! I started this with such good intentions, but life seems to keep getting in the way. I am going to make a point of doing better at blogging, and start sharing some of my favorite things. Be prepared to see my daughters, my dog, (I'd show you my husband but he HATES having his picture taken), sewing projects, things I see and like. Who knows what all I'll share. But I need to do this and would love to have comments along the way from any of you who share my passions. And I need to get some followers on here to help keep me posting. I already have a topic in mind for tomorrow. See you then! Oh wait!!! I found a picture of my sweet husband and my Riley. The two brown-eyed boy loves of my life.

Mary

Letter Love Fun

I'm excited because my online art class, Letter Love 101, is getting ready to start! It should be a lot of fun.

Mary

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I'll be the first to admit we had gotten pretty spoiled with the weather we had been having here in the upper midwest. It was more than a little unusual to have no snow on the ground in southern Minnesota, and to only need a sweatshirt or jacket because the temperatures were up in the 40's or 50's. Seriously, I was not complaining about it at all. In fact, I was rather enjoying it. So what is this white stuff on the ground, the cold temps and this wind howling outside my windows?

I have discovered that the older I get, the less I like winter. I don't think I would want to pack up and move to a warm climate where we had no change of seasons, but I think I could do without the sub-zero temperatures we had this week for sure. I could easily stay in my nice, warm house and not go out at all. If only the grocery store and the Chinese restaurant delivered. Small town living does have a few drawbacks.

Oh well, only 59 days until the first day of SPRING!!!

Mary

My Little Buddy Riley

It can get so quiet and often lonely around here during the day when my sweetheart is gone to work. Sure am glad I have this little guy for company now that the girls are all off making their own way in the world.

Mary

And a New Year Has Begun!

2012 has gotten off to a slow start and I am trying to make myself TO DO lists of things to accomplish. So much time wasted last year, and I hope to improve on that score dramatically.

One of my first orders of business is to sort and organize my space in order to function more efficiently. I love to do so many things; from sewing and quilting, to stamping and scrapbooking. I have a vast array of supplies for each of these activities and in order to use them to their fullest potential, I feel the need to organize properly. I want all of my sewing supplies in one area and fabrics in another. To stamp or scrap, I want all of my papers and embellishments gathered together for easier access.

So, I am working my way through boxes and totes, shelves and drawers. I am keeping and tossing and trying to get a rough sort done first, then will come the organization. I have baskets, totes, and every concievable container to put things in. By the time I am finished I want to be able to know where things are without even having to look for them. We'll see how close the end result is to my vision.

In the meantime, I will plug away shuffling things from here to there, purging the things I no longer want to take up space, and yes...adding to it all with more.

My next adventure will be an online lettering class to use for crafts, gifts, journaling. I love new things and can't wait to get started. And believe it or not, my mind has already fast forwarded to thinking about some of the gifts I want to make for this coming Christmas. So, no time to waste. Have to get back to my organizing. The sooner it is complete, the sooner I can begin my first project of 2012!

Happy New Year and let your creative thought processes carry you away!

Mary