Blessed Beyond Belief

Pixie and Gracie

2009-11-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

A full day of excitement on the home front...5 of the 6 dogs dug their way out and decided that coming back into the yard wouldn't be a good thing but visiting the neighbors would be too fun...gggrrrrr.........so off I went chasing dogs in the neighborhood :( Got 4 of them back into the house leaving 2 running the street........to say the least I was a bit MAD at them....

So after that fiasco I decided to make today grooming day...or at least 4 of the 6 got baths and 3 got a clip job....on the last of the dogs being groomed I clipped more than just hair...got Gracie's pad snipped too...I felt really bad but the nurse came out and she got her paw stuck in cornstarch to stop the bleeding and then wrapped in a sock...she was not happy with that arrangement at all...poor puppy....

she looks so sad in this picture...she doesn't like having the sock on her foot but trying to keep it clean and her from licking it

another picture of her poor foot............

Pixie got clipped today too....she is really curly and needed to get her curls under control...she reminds me of someone with curly hair that is nice and straight until the wet weather frizzes it up :)

another picture of her new doo

she looks like she is smiling in this picture :) Too cute

Spookiness

2009-10-31T16:47:00.001-07:00

Sometimes things just show up on your doorstep that would frighten you...well if you were old and senile....no comments from the peanut gallery on that comment :)
Tonight was Halloween and both sets of grandkids showed up...dressed in their Halloween finery....I got the one family's picture but none of the ones of the other family turned out.....so bummed!!!!

got one of this family :) poor Stan :) Peter Pan never looked so good in tights :)

Cute as a button!

2009-10-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

I guess in dealing with people you don't know you come across some that have VERY different ideas than what you have. This pup got returned to me today because he had a minor dental flaw...he has a very slight underbite...how could someone return some thing so cute for that? A lot I want to say about the encounter but it is best left unsaid.........

He is so cute...and his personality is just shining :)

One more of the cute little guy :)

Can you get any cuter than this?????

More Play time :)

2009-10-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last year we went to the local kangaroo farm...everyone has one of those in their neighborhood don't they? And my husband shot these pics of peacocks that were running around flashing themselves around everyone........so I was trying something i learned in Lightroom...kinda make it look like a drawing instead of a photo....

so here is one attempt...it really does look more like a drawing instead of a picture...i left the blue color in and took out all the rest of it....

in this one i took out the blue and it looks like a pencil drawing

this last one has a vignette added to it that i forgot to do the first time around :)

ok..think the meds are finally kicking in :)

Lightroom junkie

2009-10-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

I just got Lightroom...and all I can say is WOWZER!!!!! Man can I see potential in this program.....have been playing with it today while I sit here with my tooth hurting and on major pain meds to get it under control...so took this picture of Cody and played with it.........how fun is this to play with :) and something I can do till the meds kick in ;)

This is the original I started with...not bad but...................

here I played with all kinds of settings....got the colors a bit richer...unfortunately it shows up far better on my mac instead of my pc...

here is a antique greyscale that i bumped up some of the settings...again so much richer looking on my mac but my blog is set here on my pc so that is where i am putting these for now...

stay tuned for more playing in this program...i am hooked :)

Once in a while...

2009-10-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

Once in a while you get an incredible picture...or at least one you weren't expecting when taking or scrolling thru your shots...........took the pups out and had this idea to put them up on the play structure where they couldn't get off...or at least easily...altho one did figure out how to try and climb down it :)
Had some people pick up their puppy and had them keep an eye on the pups so none took a nose dive onto the chips that were below...that way I could concentrate on taking some pictures without worrying that they would fall :)
This top pic was just cute....

this is the photo that took me by surprise...all of them with their heads up and looking forward...not at the camera but at least looking up..............WOOHOO!

Froggie went a courtin

2009-10-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Every year I get at least one froggie that comes to my deck and makes it's summer/fall home. Usually they are in my flowers...this one made it's home on this outdoor yard artie type of thing. I love to hear them croaking...calling for that elusive froggie that is out there......

check out the top of this shutter box

here is a closer view....and an even closer look below :)

There were two of them climbing up one day on a stick but by the time I got the camera they were gone :(

Lucy's pups at 6 weeks

2009-10-02T21:47:00.001-07:00

I took these videos a couple of days ago but just learned how to use IMovies to edit out some of the extra stuff...panning and such :) So here are two videos of the pups playing for your viewing entertainment.
The noise in the background is one puppy who wanted to be picked up and held instead of playing with his siblings...there is also a frog croaking in it :)
Excuse the poor filming and editing but wanted to get something up before it was actually time for people to come and get their puppies. I would have liked to get down further to film instead of taking a top down view but......ya get whatcha pay for sometimes ;)
The first video is just the pups playing together...I am in there sometimes but when I got outside to sit and try and take video all they wanted to do was come and eat me :) I kept the bigger dogs out hoping to get some better play but all they really wanted to do most of the time was nurse from mom....they have been weaned but............

The second video is with Cody in the mix...he wanted so bad to come and play...actually I let Pixie in too but she went into the house instead of playing with the babies....they really love to play with the little ones...but I have to keep an eye on them cuz they get a little rough sometimes in their idea of playing.
Oh I just saw the video and for some reason the quality is HORRIBLE!!!! Sorry about that...hopefully I can somehow get what it really looks like up there instead of the blurry stuff I see.....

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

2009-09-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

I got pics of the puppies today and got a couple of others....set up these pumpkin/squashes that appeared on my counter this morning (my husband got them for me)...what a great opportunity to set them up and get some pics :)
Even got Cody up there to get a couple of pics of him...

This was just a gotcha moment with the dogs...I came out of the den and they were all just sitting like this on the chair...well got my camera and shot only one pic before they all left the chair...even Cody is in the background :) Poor Lucy needs a haircut after her puppies.

An added to this post are some of the pics that people don't usually see...the pups weren't wanting to sit still for pics for me today...so I have included them walking to me so that they could give me kisses........how could I get mad at them for that???

squash eaters

here come the kisses

I put Findley up on the pumpkin cuz all he wanted to do was kiss me....so I thot maybe I could get a good pic of him up there but............nah...he jumped down :)

Simple Woman's Day Book

2009-09-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

I was perusing thru Ali Edwards blog and came across this blog on the Simple Woman"s Day Book...so being in kind of a thotful mood today thot I would try it....I have such a hard time sometimes putting words here...I can think words really well in my head but when it comes to putting them on paper...or in this case on my blog...I don't do as well...so today I am stepping WAY out of my comfort zone and putting this on my blog and see what comes out of my head onto this virtual paper :)
So here we go.....

FOR TODAY
September 15, 2009...
Outside my window...are doggies playing with each other...right now the "sock" is the favorite toy being pulled, snatched, guarded and dodged.
I am thinking...How lucky I am to be able to enjoy simple pleasures at home and not have to face the work world out there.
I am thankful for...Oh so much in my life....guess today's top thing would be my kids who love me, exasperate me, try me, adore me, give me great joy, talk to me, put up with me, model me, listen to me,
From the learning rooms...guess I always want to be learning something...want to do and be so much more than I am at this point in my life
From the kitchen...HA!!! Thinking that I need to make something for dinner but have left over stew that will probably be the meal of choice for tonight :)
I am wearing...my favorite kind of stretchy pants and a salmon top
I am creating...memories for myself and others around me
I am going...to try and stay home today and enjoy the fact that I can stay home
I am reading...Francine Rivers, Mark of the Lion Series ...book 2, An Echo in the Darkness
I am hoping...to get down to a thinner size.....eventually but would like it sooner than later
I am hearing...puppies whining and the faint sounds of Christian Radio in the background
Around the house...seeing things needing to be picked up and put in the right spot...but am sitting at my computer PLAYING instead
One of my favorite things...my new puppy, Cody...how fun it is to have a new pup to play with
A few plans for the rest of the week: Stan's Chief pinning, enjoying Danica's new washing machine, awaiting people coming to check out me and my dogs, staying on task with my weight loss goals, enjoy my dogs and new pup,
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Lawnmower woman and rider

2009-09-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Madison got to drive the lawn mower herself today...at first Pa had to push down the seat cuz she is too light to make it go...but then her mom suggested adding Aaron who wanted to ride anyway on the back...so they tootled around the yard for a bit

now if that isn't sheer joy on her face I don't know what it would be :) ...oh Aaron doesn't like the sound of the mower but likes to ride it.....

Little Miss Sassy Pants :)

Cody Jax is finally here!

2009-09-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

After being in the state for a couple of weeks at a friends house, Cody finally came to his home today....my granddaughter was here for his event and that meant pictures :)

here is torrey with cody

the pic of cody is blurred in the below pic but i love torrey's look on her face :) kids and puppies...the sweetest thing around :)

Wienermobile and Swimming Lessons

2009-09-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Ok...so camano island isn't this booming metropolis that draws a lot of attention in the grand scope of the world...or even the US....so imagine my surprise when i was driving off the island and saw the wienermobile driving onto the island...i was off to Red Robin (yum!) for lunch with some of the grandkiddies so couldn't go and see where it was going.......coming back home had to stop at my daughters so i didn't take my normal way home...and to my surprise there was the wienermobile parked at the local grocery store...so we flipped a uie and went back....i got some quick photos of the grandkiddies from my phone which i have to figure out how to download..as i was leaving again to take aaron to swim lessons we went early and i took my camera this time and got some shots.....
the famous wienermobile.....

a side shot...had to laugh at cameron cuz he said he would probably never see this again...i told him in all my 56 years i had never seen the wienermobile in person

cameron and madison sitting in the wienermobile..they were disappointed that they couldn't take a ride in it but they weren't giving rides today...darn!!!! cuz i would have been right in there with them

another shot of the two grandkiddies

holding it up????

reminds me of a song that i can't think of the words right now..maybe will have to edit as soon as the old timers brain kicks back into gear

After wiening around we got aaron and took him to his swimming lesson....LOVE LOVE LOVE this shot of him and tina

i usually don't get to take aaron swimming but today tina was excited to show me how aaron was learning the crawl

more crawling

and then there is queen showoff who was just swimming while aaron had his lesson

add mr cool :)

ok...so this next series of shots kinda freak me out....you would never catch me letting someone do this to me!!!! not in a million years or beyond that.....
aaron puts his feet on tina's shoulders and she grabs his legs and then...........

flips him over....my nose would be so full of water and i would come out sputtering

nope not this fish....totally over he goes and comes up and begs for more.....certainly didn't get that from me!

they were supposed to jump off together but didn't happen...cam was a spoil sport :)

and the last shot...it was time to get out and tina kept putting him on the side of the pool and he kept jumping back in...finally she carried him out of the pool and then we held his hand so he didn't make another quick jump in :) silly boy!

so that was my very exciting day :)

I think it is Cody Jax

2009-09-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

So I think his name is going to be Cody Jax.....kinda like Kojak but not quite. Went to see him today...he is with his surrogate mom until this coming weekend and then he will come and live here with my crew....he is so cute and quite a lover...can't wait to get my hands on him all the time :)

The other dog here is Brandi...she is one of my puppies that his surrogate mom owns. I have been teaching Joan some training tricks and so the leash was just dragging behind Brandi...and that is just beggin a puppy to take it up and walk the dog

now that is some serious air for one so young....only got this one really good one of him flying....

so the play time included an asian pear that Brandi stole from the tree...she started eating it but............

someone came along and stole the pear from her...hum...wonder who that could have been???

and he wasn't about to surrender it to her either

Joan went and got Cody a smaller pear...but look who has been left with that one

Part of the pear gone and look who still has it

all that is left of the pear...he ate it all...when Brandi came over for the little bit that was left (the seeds) Cody went right to it and finished it up...man glad I don't have him tonight as that pear may be coming thru in ways I don't want to clean :)

HE'S HERE!!!

2009-09-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well the long awaited few weeks are finally here....the puppy arrived on washington soil last night....a friend picked up him up and is going to keep him for a few days before she starts school...i went to see him today....and i must say----HE IS SOOOOO CUTE!!!!! the pictures don't show how really cute he is....now for a name..............

the name the breeder came up with was jax...i thot of jaxton...and then thot colby was better...but now someone said reese and that just might be it....he is a beautiful chocolate color with these wonderful tans both light and dark.....and to say his brows are to die for ??? :)

Sadie goes and Pixie keeps vigil

2009-08-31T18:17:00.001-07:00

my sweet sadie sue went to her new home today...it seems so odd to not have her around here...she is such a sweet girl...she is like a gumby doggy...she loved to sit in my lap like a child and just cuddle...ah..she will be missed but again...i know she will be well loved in her new home

here she is with one of her favorite toys...and old fire hose made into a doggy toy

and then there is pixie :) she climbed into the puppy cage and stood watch over them...what she really wanted to do was play with the pups but they are far too young...so she took to watching them and kis

she is thinking....come on..play with me!!! my little energizer bunny

bye to the old, hello to the new

2009-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

as i sit here and think about this post i am a little bit saddened...today my sweet riley joe went to a new home. he is such a good boy and i will miss him...he has the most soulful eyes and seemed to look deep inside of you. i will miss his jumping for his food before i put it down and then his circling when he finished before everyone else did. but....he went to a great home who will treat him like a king and love on him...they have three kids who fell in love with him from the internet :) ah the wonders of modern technology. he will still be available for stud if i need him for a bit.....bye sweet boy

in with the new....this guy comes tomorrow from california. am excited to see him but won't get to actually meet him until tuesday. a former client is picking him up along with her friend who is flying him home with her...she offered to keep him the night as they are getting in a bit late for me to drive to seattle...altho i would have...but she wanted to keep him overnight...and i have actually told her that she could keep him as long as she wants to get her puppy fix in....she is actually gonna work on him and potty training him so i think this might be a good deal for me....hum...wonder how fast she can train him :)

not totally sure of a name for the guy...the breeder has been calling him jax and i had thot i would keep that but not totally sure now....am thinking colby might fit better...will actually wait and see him to see what fits...i hear he doesn't like baths :)

Dogs, dogs and more dogs :)

2009-08-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Was a day for pictures of dogs :) this is my newest litter....three boys and one girl....one spectacular colored red one (almost irish setter red), an apricot and two buffs

I didn't get this as quickly as I wanted to...I wanted them all eating but didn't quite get them...they all eat very close to each other...and then when done they start circling to see if anyone leaves anything in their bowls...reminds me of sharks circling their prey

This picture is an old one that I had posted. This is who one friend named Pixie Dust...the name stuck. She was born only 4 ounces and then lost an ounce right away and it took forever for her to gain. This is a picture of my granddaughter bottle feeding her to get her strong enough to nurse. The vet finally told me to let nature take its course with her and let her go. So the bottle feedings stopped...

and here she is today at 8 pounds...she is 6 months old and is sporting quite a smile in this picture. it was hard to get her to sit still...I had just given her the very first haircut of her little life and she was wired to go...maybe the smile is cuz she is proud of how pretty she is???

Ice Caves

2009-08-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

For the last of the big anniversary weekend we went to the Ice Caves up by Granite Falls...We hadn't been there for at least 10 years....and my have things changed....
Here is part of the ice flow with a really cool flower bush in the picture :)

Part of the ice caves...cool formations of the ice

Part of the trail....part of the broken trail......would have hated to be on it when it broke :)

The photographer in the ice cave :)

This tree along the trail was really cool....from the front it looks like an elephant with an open mouth...from the side like this picture is looks like the side of an elephant...really cool

more ice cavy stuff

Us at the Ice caves

Paulette....if you read this...are these the leaves that you talked about for your cement projects?

36 years...omg

2009-08-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

For our 36th anniversary (I can't believe it has been that long) we went to the Space Needle to have lunch...here we are sharing a dessert...something lunar ______ ? They bring it out and it is foaming all over the place...hum...and you are expected to eat it???? Oh Dave just said it is called Lunar Orbitor.....hum...

Here is the Seattle skyline from the observation deck of the Space Needle

That thing is pretty high up...the elevators make short work of the trip...it was amazingly quick to get up and down...can't imagine using steps to get up to the top of this thing

OK...so there were these rides in the Seattle Center....and Dave just thot we needed to ride this one and I was complaining that we would get wet riding it....this is the part that you go up before you go down and get quite wet :) And guess who got to sit in the front of the ride and got really wet??????

Day 2 of what is turning out to be an anniversary weekend we went for a short hike to Whistle Lake up in Anacortes....being novice walkers that we are we didn't bring any water along so we didn't go real long...couple of miles would be my guess...but then I am horrible at guessing things like that

This is Whistle Lake...very pretty hike with lots of side trails...good place to get yourself really lost...or at least I would get very lost if I went by myself...I am horrible at directional stuff

This was the trail we took in and out...it was wide and not real hard to walk...this is actually on our way back...the side trails are much narrower and more bumpy ;) Lots of roots and rocks and little hills and slidey areas to slip on :)

Here is a place where Jackie won't go!!!!!

Tomorrow we are going to go to the Ice Caves...maybe we will remember to take some water with us :) But I hear the walk isn't bad...haven't been there for years

New puppy update :)

2009-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

here are a couple of new pics of my puppy that is due to come here at the end of the month :) right now his name is Jax...not sure it will stick but he will have something cute when i meet him :)

Grumpy boy, gentle horse, amazing volunteers

2009-08-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

I got the privileged of going and watching my grandson, Aaron, at his riding lesson...he was a very grumpy boy through almost the entire thing. These volunteers that work with him are absolutely amazing and patiently loving to this little boy who at times is not the easiest to work with :)
I apologize for these pictures are really pixelated but they were taken in a dark barn and I am really bad at my camera settings...but wanted to capture the event anyway...

This horse was so gentle with its rider. Aaron is supposed to tell the horse to "walk on", "whoa" and "trot"...for a boy who is non-verbal this isn't an easy task. The girl that worked with him this day wasn't his normal person so he was testing her on top of the fact that he was being a stinker anyway :) But to her credit she got him to do it anyway

They do this thing called around the world where he goes totally around the seat...from side to back to side to front

Aaron's favorite thing is to trot...this entails the girls with him to run beside the horse and keep Aaron seated...even riding backwards

woohoo...there is a smile from the boy

another time of around the world...he is totally comfortable riding that horse and not holding on....heck as I remember I cling for dear life when upon one of the LARGE beasts :)

It's Official

2009-08-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

I committed to a new puppy today :) He is a second generation guy that is really cute...am hoping to get up in generations so that the "grandfathered" look comes up less. Not totally sure of his name yet but am leaning toward Jaxton...the breeder had the names starting with J in this litter and named him Jax...that has been a name in the back of my head for a bit now and this might be the one to use it on :) Have to wait for the official name once I see him....
Now he needs a middle name....any suggestions?

next set of puppy pics

2009-07-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

play time

Breakfast on the deck

After breakfast...little bit of play

Day with the g'daughters

2009-07-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

what to do with a nine and seven year old when the weather is stinkin hot and no one feels like doing much but staying inside where at this point it is cooler than outside? I have the girls for the day while their dad is working and their mom is playing in florida at cha......(that is why the outfits aren't matching :) It was 10am and they were already bored....so emma decided to make a mask out of some blanket material i cut up for the puppies and had scraps...mask didn't stay on for long so we went on to other things to make

this girl is one after her grums heart...i like to play with fabric too

this is some satiny material that was on the edge of the blanket i cut up....fun times

pochantas type leg stuff

So today was a time for the old brain to kick in and see what could keep the girls occupied for a bit.....i had an aha moment and thot............tent on the play structure...so got torrey to put the blanket up and then armed with some ice water, cups, cherries, book, rugs the girls were up there playing till it got too hot to stay under the tent

funny what a little blanket and a play structure can be made into

torrey cheesin it up

she is such a ham bone

emma coming up into the tent

enjoying the spoils of tenting at grums

pocahantus-emma with her leg bands on