Is the Honeymoon Over?

Well, we have had Mollie for a little over a week.  From the pictures below, you might think that the honeymoon is over.

Not in the least.  Our little Mollie has been an incredible joy with some surprising perks.  The previous owners (of two whole weeks) wrote that she was not housebroken.  I guess if you are stuck in a laundry room all day, you might have an accident.  Mollie has not had one accident in our house.  Not one!!!  If I say, "let's go outside" she runs right to the door.  She has even gone to the back door and barked and scratched to be let out.  Getting her back in is another thing but we're working on that.  I put out a couple dog beds and they quickly became her go to places to nap.  She sleeps all night in her crate without a wimper.  We'll have her sleeping with us (and Maggie) on the bed before too long but want to wait a while longer for that.

Like I said, she doesn't like to come back inside when I let her out back.  So in the evening I take her out front on a leash for her potty breaks if it's dark out.  I've already warned the neighbors about seeing me in my jammies and robe walking down the street.  Just look the other way, people!

Mollie is gaining confidence with playing with Maggie.  Maggie means no harm but likes to play rough.  Yesterday, Mollie actually was giving it back to Maggie and they were chasing each other around the house.  She loves playing with toys as you can see below.  I keep the toys all in a pile and she quickly gets them all out again.

I took her into the vet's on Friday for her rabies vaccination and she was declared perfectly healthy in every way.  She was very sociable with the other dogs so she is not as timid any more.  She still shirks away if I put my hand out to pet her which makes me think she might have been abused.  Lots of love and hugs should take care of that.  She even loves to take naps with me in the afternoon, curling up beside me.  Sweet!

The only problem we have with her is her barking.  I have had to apologize to the neighbors with the guarantee we will work on it.  They have been so nice and understanding.  The gal on one side said not to worry about it as did the neighbors on the other side.  They are new to the neighborhood and immediately had gone down and gotten a rescue dog themselves, so they understand what all it entails.

Today I am going down to our local city offices to get Mollie's tags so she will be street legal.  She has fit right in and made herself an instant part of our family.  I highly recommend getting a rescue dog and hopefully you will have as good a luck as we have.

I mentioned above that there was a surprising perk  I periodically suffer from insomnia.  I'll stay awake untill four or five in the morning and then only sleep about four hours.  It's exhausting and it has made me miss meetings and appointments as I'm too tired to drive, not to mention it's not safe.  Since getting Mollie I have been so much busier chasing after her, taking her for walks, picking up after her and all the other things that having a new dog entails that I am ready for bed by ten at night!

Besides the city offices I think I better stop and get some new slippers - and then figure out a place to hide them!  I'll try to get some more pictures of Mollie soon - if she ever holds still long enough to have one taken!

Have a wonderful week!

A New Member of Our Family

We have an announcement.  We have added a new member to our family!

That's our Scottie, Maggie on the left and our new Scottie, Mollie, on the right.  We've been wanting to get a new little sibling for Maggie for quite some time.  However, we didn't want to go through the puppy stage again.  Finding an adult Scottie is not that easy.  As it turns out, this past week eight Scotties became available through two different agencies here.

I had put in my name to the Dumb Friend's League, our local rescue animal shelter, for a purebred Scottie a month ago and we got the call Friday night. We went down first thing Saturday to "just look" at her.  I have a tendency to over think things and didn't want to make a hasty decision this time.  The minute we saw her and heard her story we knew we couldn't leave her there.  She started out as a puppy mill dog, was rescued by a family who gave her to another family who only had her for two weeks.  No wonder she's a little skittish and shy!  No animal should have to go through all of that.

I made the mistake of letting her run around our back yard first thing when we got home and boy did I have a time trying to catch her!  I'm learning a few tricks, though.  So far no accidents in the house, which is a good thing.  Her favorite thing to do is to go on walks, so walking we do.  FAST!!!!  She's much better on a leash than Maggie.  Maggie stops and sniffs every single blade of grass.  Mollie is a gal on a mission.  Our first walk today was a long one.  I took her near some traffic so she would start getting used to noises.  The second walk was shorter as it was freezing rain out.  By the time I get her used to us I should be in great shape!

Right now we have part of the house blocked off and she sleeps in a crate.  I'm tired and can't get much done right now as most of the time I sit and hold her.  I don't want her to wander around freely yet.  That, along with trust, will come with a little time and lots of love.

She's very petite, almost half the size of Maggie.  The Dumb Friends League gives everyone that adopts an animal a free checkup at a vet, so I'll be taking her down for that and her rabies shot.  Then we'll head on over to the city offices for her license so she will be street legal.

If you or your family are considering getting a new pet, consider adopting a rescue animal.  Here in Colorado, rescue and shelter animals are our state pet.  People here are passionate about rescuing and placing animals in loving homes.  The Dumb Friends League is a wonderful organization and I thank them for giving us the opportunity to bring Mollie home.

*A note about the Dumb Friends League.  They don't call them "dumb" because they think the animals are stupid.  They call them that because they can't speak for themselves so they need our help.  One of the original founders of the Dumb Friends League was none other than Margaret Brown of Denver.  Better know as The Unsinkable Molly Brown!  Quite fitting, don't you think?

Help Wanted

I have a question for anyone who stops by.  Are you still seeing my green polka dot background?  Every time I open up my page it's just black.  It doesn't seem to be loading correctly.  Maybe it's just our computer.

I'd appreciate if you would let me know.

Thanks and have a wonderful fall weekend!



Well, for some reason my blog and my computer don't like each other.  I went into my "Design" area to "Template" and changed the background design.  It let me do that so for some reason it doesn't recognize my old background.  So for the time being I'm going to use just the white.  I don't have anyone around here that has a blog or knows what to do.  So my one question now is, how does one contact the blogger people and ask for help?  THANKS!

Happy Snow!

This is what we woke up to today. It's not supposed to stick around long, though.  Below freezing temperatures tonight and cold tomorrow.  Then back to fall weather for the weekend.  I'm telling you, there is weather here for just about anyone's taste!

As for me, you know what this means, don't you?  1......2......3........

PAJAMA DAY!!!!!  

1.  Don't get dressed (I'm retired, remember) and put on my best sock monkey flannel pajamas, busy bee slippers and Scottie bathrobe.  I'm such a fashion-ista!
2.  Get out a good book to read.
3.  Make some hot tea or hot cider
4.  Take a nap
5.  Mix and repeat!!!

I hope you all have as great a day as I plan on having!

After my first comment I think I have come up with a great idea!  How about a virtual pajama day?  Pictures not necessary!!!  LOL!!!

Happy Fall! 

*another beautiful picture from my friend, Nikki.  

Catching up....

Oh, how I wish this was my Hollyhock!  Sadly, it isn't.  It belongs to my best friend Nikki.  We both love Hollyhocks, in particular the old fashioned single ones.

I had great plans to create a perennial garden here when we moved but so far I haven't done so.  The ground here is terrible!!!!!  The yard is a HUGE 1/3 acre and I can't imagine planting all of that.  I do have a small little area near the patio that I think I will attempt to plant next spring.  There is a tree next to it and I put bark around it and raked the little planter area.  So what happened?  Maggie and the bunnies think it's their personal play yard. Bark everywhere.  Dig holes in the dirt.  What a mess. I'll probably have to put a little fence around it until it's established.

You may have read about the floods here in Colorado.  Being a newbie here it's difficult to wrap my brain around the devastation.  The sun is shining today but there are still roads closed, houses destroyed, people unaccounted for.  They want to get the roads back by December 1st.  At least that is the plan.  It is all going to depend on how soon winter hits us.

We didn't have floods where we live.  However, there were lots of leaks in basements including ours.  What a mess.  I had to go purchase a wet vacuum and I vacuumed up at least 4 gallons of water.  It was  in one part of the basement and luckily didn't spread to the entire area.  We had to move so much stuff that my straightened out basement now looks exactly (or worse) than when we first moved in.  We have an insurance adjuster coming Monday and then will have to call a contractor if it's not covered.  We have no idea where the water was coming in from.  Please pray we will find the problem and it will be a quick fix before we get more rain.

More importantly, please pray for the people of our beautiful state that have lost so much.  I'm proud of our state.  I've never seen an area where people come together so selflessly.  Our state motto?

COLORADO STRONG!!!

Holly Hobbie

You know what they say.  Everything that is old is new again.  I was perusing Facebook one day and came across a fabric store that had Holly Hobbie fabric.  It brought back memories of when my daughter was little and she loved Holly Hobbie.  She's 43 now but I still have her Holly Hobbie pillowcase safely tucked away.

I had saved lots of her things thinking one day she would not only be a great mom, but a mom to girls.  Well, two boys later and you know how that goes.

I'm trying to get rid of some of the clutter before the Hoarder people from television knock on my door. I came across this sweet needlework that my mother-in-law made for Dory.  It's in pristine condition and is 11" x 14".  Her needlework skills are exquisite and the picture in no way does it justice.

I'm offering it for sale for $30.  It would make a great picture for a little girls's room.  It could also be used as a center medallion for a quilt.

If you are interested just leave me a comment and I will contact you.  It's a shame that it is just sitting here when some little girl might love it.

In the meantime, have a great week!!!

*Holly has sold and is going to a new home right here in Colorado!

Beads of Courage

I know I've mentioned before about my weekly sew and tell meeting that I attend at Above and Beyond Sewing and Vacuum.  We like to get there a little early to catch up on what everyone has been doing for the week.  Then we are filled in about upcoming classes and new products.  After that there is always some sort of craft/sewing/quilting demonstration.  A good time is always had by all.

This past Wednesday we did something different.  There is a nation-wide program called Beads of Courage.  You can read about it here on their web site.  Children who are afflicted with serious and/or life threatening diseases can participate through hospitals in their area.  For instance, if it is a cancer patient they get a bead for visits, a bead for shots, a bead when their hair falls out, etc.. They get a bead for every milestone along their journey.   Please take the time to go through the web site and learn about this wonderful program.

We spent the day making bags to distribute to children at the hospital in our area that is sponsoring the program.  This is just a small example of the bags we made.  It was a great day and I think we all felt so good to be doing our part to help the children have something special.

If you are wondering if there is a facility in your area that participates in this program go to the home page, at the top click on "information" and click on "hospitals".    If you would like to make bags go the top where it says "artists"and then click on "quilters".  You will find the directions for making these simple bags as well as an order form to send for the labels .

Thank you in advance for any help you can give this organization.

Laundry Room Alert!

I didn't have anything better to do so I thought I would take pictures of my laundry room to show you.  I actually have tons to do, but I got distracted, truth be told.  Excuse the poor quality of pictures.  Son gave me a new (hand me down) camera which takes awesome pictures, I'm sure.  Trouble is he didn't give me the charger for it.  I'm waiting for him to come home from the other side of the world so he can find it in all his stuff.  They are not cheap and I know the minute I buy one, he'll find it.  So I wait....

Back to the laundry room.  In all of my 45 years of marriage I have never had a laundry room.  Although, that's not entirely true.  We had one house that had a "laundry area" behind bi-fold doors in the - get this - family room!  You could not watch television, talk, or even think straight when the washer and dryer were going because of the noise.  What were they thinking?  First thing we did was have them moved to the garage.  Then we took off the doors and paneled the area (it was the 80's after all) and put up shelves.  We used the area to store games and books.  It worked out great.

Having an laundry room here is a real blessing.  It's almost a necessity also as it gets so very cold in the winter.  I wouldn't want to be out in the garage doing laundry when the temperatures are below zero.  I've had fun decorating it.  It was a blank slate, off white walls and a gray washer and dryer.  I had some pink containers I had purchased at Home Goods that I used in my sewing room at the other house.  I store cleaning supplies, tools, light bulbs, etc. in them.  It made choosing my color scheme easy - pink!!

I have a nice collection of Scottie linens.  This is a child's apron.

 This sign is a gift from a friend.  It doesn't look like it here but it's pink.

 Scotty door stops.

I have a white wicker hamper for the dirty laundry.  I would set something cute on top of it, but just in case the hubs does some laundry I don't want to make it any more difficult for him.  (LOL!  I crack myself up!!!)

A Busy Bee Washboard (blurry photo alert!)

Pink Quilt

Have you seen the reproduction blue Ball jars that are available?  I bought mine to use.  I guess I better go get some more 'cause these look cute right where they are!

More Scottie linens.  You can't tell but the towels are hanging from vintage glass towel bars.

 If it is a Scottie something, I probably have it.  That is a tablecloth hanging from my ironing board.  I forgot to take a picture of it but it has a pink cover.  Of course it does!

As I was puttsing around the house this morning I came across this little oval Scottie dresser scarf and I thought it was time to give it a home.  In a moment of sheer brilliance (LOL!) I decided to hang it over the washer and dryer hoses.  You can decorate a laundry room but it doesn't look finished and nice if they are showing.   If you look close you can see delicate tatting around the edge that has little holes in it (openwork) which made it easy to hang.  Worked out great.

I just heard the dryer go off so I better go hang up clothes.  Have a Happy and Restful Labor Day!!!

A Fine Jane Austen Marriage

I don't know about you, but I think that this summer has gone way too fast!!  I had such plans to do so much.  Sadly, I didn't get many of them done.  Whose to blame?  Me!!!!  Oh, well.  Here's to a cooler and more productive fall.

I haven't been doing much sewing of late.  At least not nearly as much as I would like - or should be doing.  I have a baby quilt to crank out and some bags to cut out for a sew-in at a local shop for charity.  Then a quilt for my grandson.  When I get all that done I hope to make something for myself!!  Yesterday I got together with two friends to put together a quilt for a gal we just met.  I don't want to go into details until we give it to her.  Not that she reads my blog, I'm sure.  I just want to be careful.  We decided she needs and deserves a warm hug from a quilt.

Darcy and Carol are the two gals I sewed with yesterday.  We meet at Darcy's periodically to make things like the tote bags I blogged about earlier this summer.  Just scroll down and you'll see them.  What I find so admirable about these two gals is the amount of charity sewing they do.  They belong to the Firehouse Quilt Guild that Pat was so nice to blog about here.  They also sew dresses and bags on a regular basis that are donated to women and children in Haiti.  Every month they pick a new charity to sew for, making hats for the homeless,  backpacks for foster children, bags and quilts for the local Children's Hospital for the little cancer patients.  Even beds for rescue cats.  Well done, ladies!!!!!

In all of this, they actually make time to make something for themselves. They deserve it, don't you think?  I had been going through my patterns one day and came across Miss Rosie's Schnibble pattern, Darcy.  I decided it needed a new home, and should go to my friend, Darcy.  She was thrilled to get a pattern named after her!  (We laughed, because we agreed it was more than likely named after Mr. Darcy of Jane Austen fame!)  Her all time favorite quilt star is Eleanor Burns so she made Darcy using Eleanor's fabric line, Ellie Ann.  A perfect Jane Austen marriage, don't you think?

Isn't it the prettiest thing?  The colors remind me of sherbet ice-cream.  She still has to quilt it but I wanted you to see it now.  I'm sure Carrie and Eleanor, along with Mr. Darcy, would be pleased.

We're in for another hot day here today.  I have been busy of late so I'm taking the day off to "chill" before doing some work around the house this weekend.  It is Labor Day weekend, after all.  I'm going to watch some British murder mysteries dvd's and maybe try to get some reading done.  I think there may be a nap in the mix as well!

Have a wonderful weekend and drive safe if you are travelling!!!  Maggie sends her love!