Yes, I did get a flu shot!

Yup, that's me. Sick. Sick. Sick. It started Saturday night. Could be the flu. Could be food poisoning. Who knows. I just know that I haven't been this sick since I had food poisoning 39 years ago or had a bad case of the flu about 35 years ago. Whatever it is it's bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Do I take being sick well? NO! I get a "little" cranky. Just ask Sweety.

It's been raining here really a lot, which we need. But then there is Maggie. Since I couldn't go out and wipe her off before she came back in the house from doing her "business" and she would track mud everywhere, we had her boarded at the local kennel. Don't tell her it's a kennel. She thinks it's a day spa. She loves it there. We really miss her so will go get her today.

I have to get well by Thursday. I'm taking a class all about tea with Yvonne from Mumzie's Pumpkin Patch. I should be fine by then. I hope so at least. Tea sounds wonderful right about now. I had signed up for a cooking class Monday and Wednesday and had to cancel (no refunds sadly).

I hope all of you out there stay well and healthy!

Duda Daze

Last summer I did a post about Diane Duda. Check out her blog, Duda Daze. She's does wonderful and whimsical artwork. She had mentioned that she did commission work so I had her do one for me of Maggie and our other Scotty, Marjorie.

I have it hanging in my kitchen to keep Raggedy Ann and Andy company.

A few weeks ago Diane sent me an email and told me to check out the latest issue of the Artful Blogging Magazine.

The Artful Blogging is a feast for the eyes. It highlights some of the most talented bloggers out there.

This is a great article that they did about Diane.

Holy Moly, Marcaroni!! What is this!

Yea!!!! It's the picture that Diane did for me. There's Maggie!!!!! Of all the pictures that Diane has done they included Maggie's! How cool is that?

Congratulations, Diane! You deserve the spotlight!

I'll be back.....

First of all, I wanted to thank all my blog friends for their continued prayers for my friend Becky. The service for her son was Friday and your prayers were felt.

I'm taking a little break but I'll be back next week. Your friendships and inspirations mean the world to me. Have a wonderful and loving Valentine's Day. Hold on tight to those that you love.

Prayer Request

*The funeral for Jordan is Friday, February 13th at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Please be on your knees in prayer for them this week. Hold them up to the Lord as you pray in the months to come. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Becky is just overwhelmed with all the love and prayers that she has received from the blogging community.

~

My heart is broken. My dear friend Becky of Sweet Cottage Dreams and her family have lost their oldest son, Jordan. May the Lord Jesus Christ wrap His loving arms around them and give them comfort in this difficult time.


Please keep this wonderful family in your prayers in the days and months ahead.

Meeting New Friends

I had a great time yesterday! I was able to meet another blogger friend in person, Yvonne from Mumzie's Pumpkin Patch. I had found out a while back that we had quite a bit in common, foremost being that we both have Scottish Terriers and that we lived in the same little town! We made appointments for my Maggie and her Conner to go to the groomers and we went downtown and sat and had coffee and tea at the local little sandwich shop and talked (boy did we talk) and got to know each other. What a great gal. Thanks for the wonderful time, Yvonne! Here's to many more.

This is a picture of the dogs at the groomers. It's a kennel/grooming salon and is a very nice facility. The best part is that they truly love the dogs. Conner is older than Maggie and is a large size Scotty. Very regal and magnificent. He's also soooooooooo much calmer than Maggie.

"Hey, is she still there. She is just driving me crazy!", says Conner to Little Miss Fluffy White.

Can you see what this is? Oh, the saga of Maggie and the Sprinkler System continues! It's the top of a sprinkler valve! Maggie left it at the back door as a gift.

I will take any and all suggestions as to what to do with her penchant for sprinklers. I do buy her all kinds of chew toys and rawhide bones. She get's all kinds of love and attention but to no avail. I think I'll call the Betty Ford Clinic and see if they have room for her. It's got to be an addiction! Maybe Celebrity Rehab would like her on their show? Hmmmmmm.

I'm going off on a quilting retreat with my quilting group, The Busy Bees. There are eleven of us and this will be our eighth retreat up in the foothills near Sonora, California at the same facility. We arrive on Friday noon and leave Monday noon. We mostly quilt but we also knit, read, and watch movies. I bring up my big box of "chick flicks" and Fried Green Tomatoes and The Calendar Girls are always on the top of our list to watch. I just purchased The Secret Life of Bees so we'll for sure watch that, also. It's a great time with lots of laughter and fun. The conference grounds that owns the house we stay at delivers our meals to us -gourmet meals, mind you. Aaaahhhhhh. So for the rest of today and tomorrow I'm going to get all my gear together. When I return I'll hopefully have some great pictures and stories to tell!

See you next week!

The Good and the Bad

The Good: Since my blog is "In The Garden With Miss Jean", I thought I should show you something that is blooming in my yard today. This is a beautiful miniature camellia that I have on the patio in a container. I bought it without knowing what it would look like. But being it was pink and a miniature, how could I go wrong. The name of it is Pink Wings and I found it at my favorite nursery in Turlock, California called The Greenery. It's presently no more than 24 inches tall and I hope it stays that small. It's just covered in buds so will make quite a spectacular site from inside the house looking out. Camellias are one of my favorite plants and I have lots of them around the front and back of the house. I just wished they bloomed in the summer.

Pink Wings Camellia

The Bad: We had quite an event in our neighborhood the other night. Some kids (I don't know the ages yet) were out drinking and doing drugs and ended up in a police pursuit. Ours is just a little town of only about 7,000 people and we are surrounded by farms and orchards. Nothing ever happens here! While being chased, the driver turned off the main road onto the street that runs by the side of our tract. I don't know how or why he lost control of his vehicle but he ended up in our neighbors house. This house is four doors down from mine and is the corner house onto the street. No one was injured but there is extensive damage to the home. They demolished the living room and thankfully no one was in there at the time. Had it been the model home like I have it would have gone into a bedroom. So like most things, it could have been worse.

There are tire marks just to the right of the tree so it looks like the car headed straight at the house and then somehow slid sideways. The car hasn't been moved yet. They have to get a structural engineer in first to make sure nothing collapses when they move it. All utilities to the house had to be shut off.

Good Grief!

Getting Ready

In February my quilting group and I are going on a retreat for four days in the beautiful foothills near Sonora, California. We have limited space so we all get as much cutting and preparation work done ahead of time.

I've been working on getting my blocks ready for the Siggy Swap. I have 60 blocks to do before April 15th so I plan on finishing them up at retreat. The other day I'm happily sewing along....la, la, la. Then I notice - no bobbin thread for the last 20 blocks!!!!! Please, someone tell me I'm not the only one that does that!


These are my little friends who sit and watch me sew. I hope I didn't frighten them when I started screaming!

Welcome Aboard

I'd like to introduce you to two new members of our extended family. My BFF, Nikki got a boxer puppy from her brother to train and housebreak. When he's all ready she will then give him to her granddaughter, Peyton. So then Nikki decided that the little fellow needed a friend and she decided to get one for herself. Trouble is, Peyton thinks they are both hers. I don't know what she's going to do when she can only take one home. Maybe by that time, Mommy will let her have them both!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen (drum roll please)! May I introduce you to:

Wesley and Winslow

Nikki came by for us to meet them. They had to stay in their crate in the car as they are much to young to go out in public. Germs, don't ya know.

Maggie is not quite sure what to make of all this. Ah, puppy breath! Nothing better!

And the winner is.........

"Floss? Of course I floss!"

Sent in by "Corgi Dog Mama". Please email me your name and address and I'll get your goodies sent off to you right away. Also let me know which shelter or rescue agency you would like the donation be made to in your name.

Thank you for all who entered! It was really a tough choice. A lot more difficult than I thought it would be.

Maggie celebrated her first birthday with a day at the spa. She came home all beautiful, bow and all. I think the caption for this picture is:

"Enough with the camera already, Mom! I'm tired from being pampered!"

Contest and Maggie

I attempted all day yesterday to do this post but Blogspot would not cooperate so I apologize for the delay. I had no idea that Maggie's birthday and the day that I choose the winner, Tuesday, January 20th, is also our Inauguration Day here in the States. So two great events on one day, how cool is that!?!

With that said, here are the prizes for the contest. In honor of Maggie, some good Scottish Tea. We're big tea drinkers in our house! A mug for the tea (I'll never spell party the same again). A copy of the book Marley and Me which is so wonderful and makes Maggie look like Mother Teresa (sorry....). Lastly a beautiful scarf knit by none other than my Mom. If red isn't your color you can let me know what color you want and Mom will whip it up in an hour. She's fast and loves to make them. So keep entering here and I'll choose next Tuesday evening. *I forgot to metion that the winner will also receive a donation given to the animal shelter or animal rescue agency of their choice.

A friend of mine also owns a Scottish Terrier. I say "own" loosley because if you have a Scottish Terrier you know that they actually "own" you. Anyway, she wants me to let everyone know how unique Maggie is. In other words, not all Scottish Terriers are chewers. Her Scotty is not a chewer. He is very sophisticated and genteel and very much the gentleman. "Yes, you are, Dughall!" Our previous Scotty, Marjorie, was an angel from heaven. Never chewed, never barked, sweet, sweet, sweet.

With that said, here is the latest from Maggie!

This is what's left of one of my slippers. I was upstairs on the computer and things got a little too quiet. Then she came up and sat by me with this look that could melt your heart, "I'm sorry, Mommy!" I guess knowing when you have done something wrong is the first step to turning your life around.

So:

Three pairs of slippers - $60

Two pairs of tennis shoes - $70

One entire sprinkler system - $$$$

One handmade quilt that I made - $200

Countless chew toys - $30

Two decorator pillows from a new couch - $75

One dog bed - $30

Oh, I forgot - One Dyson vacuum cleaner cord! - $30

One little Scottish Terrier named Maggie - Priceless!!!