Tulip Meets Daffodil

Meet Buford

A week and a half ago we welcomed another member into our family. Another four-legged, warm, loving, furry one. It was not the easiest day. I was terribly sick, but tried to rally - showered and got dressed because I knew Buford was headed this way.

Buford had been on our minds for a couple of months... ever since my hubby first saw a frantic flyer on the fridge at work asking if someone could take Buford in. His mom (dog mom, not human mom) had started attacking him in the past year. There was no explanation as to why this started happening to poor five year old Buford. His mom Ashlie was found and adopted while she was pregnant with him, so god only knows what her history is. Sadly, it just started happening. Buford's owner tried everything - behaviorists, separation, etc. None of it seemed to solve the problem.

Two weeks ago there was a new flyer on the fridge at work. There had been another attack on Buford. My hubby called me and it was a quiet understanding between us that we would be taking Buford into our house and family.

Buford is a sweet, loving, and gentle soul. And a good fit here. But it's not been very easy for me. We lost our beloved Zoe girl almost two years ago, and I've not recovered from the loss yet. I still can't really think of her for too long without crying. She was a life force in our house, and she's been missed beyond words or comprehension. In some ways, I still can't believe she's really gone - even after all this time.

So, having Buford here with us has been a bit heartwrenching. I sometimes feel as if I am "replacing" Zoe, (literally impossible I know, but grief is a slippery slope). And Buford's poor owner is also devastated. I had no words to console her as she left that day. She tells us that she couldn't have found a better home for him, and I am so thankful she feels that way - but can you imagine giving your dog away to strangers? What sacrifice. I honestly don't know if I'd have the strength.

Not everyone has been supportive of our decision to take Buford in - we don't "need" another dog. Of course we don't. But we have the room, and the resources, and the love to help another living soul who was in desperate need of a safe place to land. And Buford has already given us more love than we could have ever hoped for, so it's been a fair trade so far.

Edited to add: Patrick is adjusting to being the "big dog brother" too. He pretty much largely ignores Buford, and struts around like he's the man of the house. It's been an adjustment for everyone - but a happy one.

Granny Square a Week : Week Four

Aw, shucks. And darn. And OMG - has it really been four weeks since my last post?

Ugh.

All I can say is sorry and thank you to the people who actually read this blog. I will do better! Promise. Pinky swear.

And I will try not to obsess and feel regretful, but I am obviously behind on my "Granny Square a Week!" goal. (See - this is why I didn't give myself a gosh-darn daily goal!) Sometimes, I suppose, life gets in the way.

It's really, really been a good, fulfilling four weeks though. Work has been busy, but that is not always a bad thing - I am feeling very good about my job these days and, more importantly, I think I am *doing* a good job. Yay for me. (pat on back)

And I've spent some quality time with friends and family, drank wine, read books and watched some mindless reality TV. I saw Ina Garten, the amazing and wonderful Barefoot Contessa. (It's true! I have a signed book!) And of course, given Patrick the dog lots of walks... (despite the cold temps here in Virginia these days.)

So (drumroll please) - here is my fourth week of granny square love (even though I suppose it's more like eight? since I missed the past three? whatever! this will stay fun, darnit!)

 

And even though I actually haven't, literally, *made* a granny square in three weeks or so... it doesn't mean that I haven't *thought* about them! I actually have all the yarn for this project in a pile on my coffee table. So I stare at these lovely skeins often. They are beautiful, but I really do think that I need more colors. More. Yarn.

I will try to muster up the self-control to wait until after the holidays, however. Let my Amex card rest a bit first.

♥

A Visit to Leesburg, Virginia

It's Monday. Almost Tuesday. And I did not pick up my crochet hook all weekend. In days actually, if I'm going to be honest.

See - this is why I don't set goals for myself like "A granny square a day!" I so admire people who can stick to such a goal. I am just not one of them.

But... I did have a nice weekend, even without any progress on my crochet projects. Since it was such a gorgeous day on Saturday (warm and sunny),  the hubby and I and Patrick the dog went to Leesburg, a cute little town nearby.

Established in 1722, the town has a rich history and is full of fabulous old houses, restaurants, shops, and antiques.

I saw this neat-looking tree.

It was in a little garden next to a museum, with signs that warned about stepping on the fruit from this tree (which was all over the ground - everywhere). The signs said it would make your shoes sticky and smelly. (We did not enter the garden!)

I also had a red velvet cupcake at Lola's. The cream cheese frosting was to die for! Some of the best I've had in a long while.

(I actually fell out of my chair eating this cupcake. And no I wasn't drinking, and yes there are pictures, and no you can't see them. :)

We did not go into one of my favorite restaurants - Lightfoot - because we had Patrick the dog with us.

It is housed in an old bank - a fully restored turn of the century bank. Yes, really. Vaults and all.

Delish.

Patrick had a great time too. A lot of sniffing and watching and walking.

I love Leesburg so much I actually fantasize about buying an old house in the historic district and moving there permanently... spending my days working in a tiny little office in one of the really old, 18th century buildings.

Someday maybe, someday...

Six Months and an Early Evening Walk with Patrick

It's kind of a special day...

Six months ago today I started this blog. OK - not exactly momentous... but I did want to mark the day in some way. I've truly enjoyed working on this blog. It's opened up (or should I say... kept open) a creative side of me which is important, and which I sometimes feel is lacking in my day-to-day life.

I used to make candles for a living. Yes, you read that correctly. For four years I was a full-time candlemaker. Hand-poured pillar candles were my specialty. I sold them online, at arts & craft festivals, and in some shops and spas. I was living in South Florida at the time, so my biggest account was actually a customer in the Bahamas. I would drop off approximately 1,400 pounds of hand-poured pillar candles at the port of Miami each time he ordered, my hands bruised and dyed blue, completely and utterly exhausted after weeks of work. And it was a lot of work. A lot. But I was able to use my imagination and creativity (almost) every day. For a living.

Eventually though, I became completely burned out by it. I ended up going back to the "business" world about five years ago, and I now spend my days at my computer working on PowerPoint, Excel and Word - instead of stirring melted wax all day, and playing with colors and scent.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love my life now. I work with some amazing clients, and I learn something new every single day. I am very fulfilled both personally and professionally.

And honestly, I don't miss candlemaking a bit - the stress of getting orders out, and the frustration I felt when a candle didn't come out perfectly after hours of work... it was all a bit much after a while. (In hindsight, I've come to the realization that my perfectionism did not meld well with that type of work. I was nearly driven insane. :)

But - I DO miss being creative, and making beautiful things with my own two hands on a daily basis.

So that's why this blog has become important to me. It's a great reminder that I need to stay creative - find interesting projects to do and actually finish them. (Easier said than done!) Also that I need to stop and appreciate the beautiful things around me... be it some pretty flowers, a sunset, or just a long walk with Patrick.

Speaking of Patrick... I wanted to share this snap my hubby took on Sunday. We went for a long, early evening walk with him. We kind of had a lazy weekend, so the poor pup was going a bit stir crazy. He was so excited to be out and about.

I just love how the shot turned out... so much movement - like you can actually see Patrick trotting along with a smile on his face and his tail wagging. :)

Dinner on the Patio

My hubby and I are moving to a new house at the end of the month. Argh. Yuck. Boo. Wah. Ugh.

Believe me, our new house is so gorgeous, I can't believe I actually get to live there, (the kitchen has an island, people - an island! I've never had one before!) I am just dreading the move itself.

But, we will get through it, as we always do. Everything will be fine. (No, really, it will.) (I keep telling myself.)

So we are trying to take advantage of some pre-move down-time. Living "normal" and calm lives before everything is thrown into boxes and chaos. Tonight I made the hubby hamburgers on the grill. And I had a salad. And we also had beer, wine, and mini croissants. On the patio. With our pup nearby in the grass.

Doesn't get much better after a long day...

Finding My Creativity Again and Blue Hydrangeas

I have to admit I've been sadly uncreative lately. I've not touched my ripple blanket (except to move it to another spot on the couch) in a couple of weeks at least.

But the hubby and I are taking a road trip this weekend - six hours in the car each way - and I thought it might be a good time to try to make some progress on it. It's not so big yet that it would be too unwieldy in the car. (And hopefully my hubby will be sweet and drive most of the way... he usually does. :)

The one bright light in my dreary backyard continues to be the blue hydrangea bush. It is coming along beautifully.

So pretty and delicate. Like a watercolor. ♥

Hunters, Foxes, Bunnies and Suburbia

There is at least one fox who lives in our neighborhood. The other morning Patrick and I were out walking and I promised him a cookie as we got closer to the house.

His pace quickened. He cannot resist a cookie of any sort, under any circumstance.

When we got to the door, however, he was not - at all - interested in coming inside. (Which, given the pending cookie, was very odd.) Well, my hunter Patrick had spotted the fox - across the street and a few houses down.

He was very focused.

And he wasn't going nutty (as he probably would have been if the UPS truck had driven by - he can't stand those guys...). He was just - watching. Intently.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any snaps of the fox, as he escaped behind a bush when he realized he was being watched. But, I did get a snap of a couple of bunnies in the backyard.

They are such nibblers.

It's so nice to *occasionally* get a little hint of nature out here in suburbia. I'll take what I can get...

♥

Posts, Poppies and Puppies

May 1. I wanted to post something clever and creative and pretty today. Honestly, I thought and thought all day about it. Even took my camera on my walk with Patrick and still - nothing. I even HAD a busy day today and actually DID things. Just nothing worth repeating I suppose...

One of my neighbors has a beautiful patch of poppies. I SO wanted to take a picture of them but - still being quite painfully shy and introverted - even at the ripe ole middle age of 41... I was scared to. Not sure really what I thought would happen - some crazy man running outside with a broom chasing me away and yelling? "Stay away from my poppies! No pictures allowed! What WERE you thinking? I'M CALLING THE COPS!" Who knows. (And yes I'm fully aware this is all very irrational. I'm shy not crazy.)

My husband has said that I often ask him to do things that I could probably do myself. Probably snapping a picture of the neighbor's poppy patch is one of those things. (Must remember to take him on our next walk...)

They really are beautiful.

Anyhoo...

I've been quite busy lately with real work and have accomplished very little on my ripple blanket. It calls to me during the day. But I stay focused and keep plugging away on my "real" work. Perhaps one day I will be independently wealthy and be able to crochet all day. Read. Do art. Whatever I please. But for now I must be an adult and responsible partner and work hard.

The only picture I have to share today is a cute one of Patrick sleeping with his Teddy. That is Steve's hand there as well. Yes, we are doting puppy parents.

(And yes, Patrick does have furniture privileges. Life's too short. ♥ )

Happy Things and Thoughts

It's my birthday in a few weeks and I've been mulling the past few days over the events of the past year. I turned 40 last April and it's really turned out to be more of a pivotal year than I ever imagined. Lots of changes... both good and bad, but, being the pessimistic realistic person that I am, I keep dwelling on all of the bad things that have happened. I'm trying to change that pattern, though, and focus my thoughts on the all of the good, happy, and positive things in my life! (And there are a lot of those... I am quite lucky. :)

One good thing from the past year is that I started this blog... I've really enjoyed sharing things I make and see and am inspired by. Here are some shots I've taken recently of some bright, cheerful things in my life that have made me smile.

My new wine bottle candleabra:

I saw something similar at a party we went to a couple of months ago - the one I saw held taper candles and I thought it was such a neat idea. And a great way to save and re-use a nice wine bottle. I decided to get the tealight holder style, because I always have a ton of tealights in the house, and well, I just thought it was super-cute.

Ceramic bunny basket... candies... enough said.

We also still have a ton of these cute daffodils in the back yard. I was worried they wouldn't make it through the cold nights we've had lately but they seem quite hardy. They smell divine too.

~

Thanks for sharing some happy things with me. ♥

Pink Tulips & Granny Square Pillows...

My first March post... March! Where is this year running off to?!

I've been quite busy the past week or so with work, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - it just doesn't leave much time or room for my creative side. And not being creative does wear on me and makes me a bit sad after a while, (if I'm being totally honest with myself). My basket o' yarn, my hook, and especially - my ripple scarf - have not been touched in, well, way too long. Never mind finished and worn.

Sigh.

Despite this, I've been trying to keep the house clean and happy. Pink tulips always, always help.

They are a beautiful shade of pink, and, according to Whole Foods - actually grown here in Virginia.

Today is sunny and much warmer than yesterday. I snapped this shot earlier of Patrick taking a nap on his granny square pillow.

I made this pillow last fall (using the wonderful granny square pattern on Lucy's Attic24 blog - I just love the flowery center!)

Anyway, as soon as I finished it Patrick adopted it as his.

Which is fine with me... whatever makes my pup happy. :)