for the love of a dog

This was supposed to be an easy, relaxing day. I finally felt like I was in good shape for Christmas. Annie and I just had a few quick things to do for school, then I needed to make a cake to take with us this weekend, pack for the weekend, deliver plates of cookies to the neighbors, and make up the futon. The rest of the day was to be free to work on school plans for next month, and yes, to relax and do some reading just for fun. Ahhh, how I was looking forward to it.

Enter one pouty-faced dog. He's been down in the dumps for the past couple of days because he destroyed his bed. And let me tell you, he LOVED his bed. It wasn't just any old dog bed. No, it was a Flyers bean bag chair. He appropriated it from Gray, who would happily give that dog of his anything, up to and including a kidney I'm sure.

Now Baker didn't mean to destroy his bed. He just gets himself a bit wound up from time to time. Usually with the help of one human or another. And when he gets fired up, he feels the need to throw his bed. Yes, it's really quite the sight...one squat, corpulent beagle grabbing a bean bag chair more than twice his size and throwing it into the air. But I'm afraid his last go-round with the bed ended in disaster...a large jagged tear issuing forth little white beads throughout the room.

And ever since, Baker has simply been beside himself with grief. He wandered from room to room to room, just testing out spot after spot after spot. Nowhere suited him. What can I say...the dog is obviously spoiled.

So, what does this total pushover here do? Decided to make him a new bed. Why I felt the need to spend my day this way is beyond me. See, Baker, though technically Gray's dog, has made it abundantly clear that he is really Rich's dog. His world revolves around Rich. The rest of us matter to him not one iota. Oh, he likes us well enough, I suppose. Or maybe he just puts up with us because he doesn't know how to get rid of us. Then again, he might just keep me around, as he seems to think of me as his own personal servant...I feed him, give him his medicine, let him out in the middle of the night, etc.

Anyway, back to the bed. This is what I started with this morning:



I've been saving everyone's worn-out and outgrown fleece clothing for the past several years. I told myself that someday I was going to make us a nice cozy quilt using the fabric from them.

By lunchtime I had this:



And finally, by 7:30 this evening, I had one very happy dog testing out his new bed:

creating update (weeks 10-11)

WARNING: MOM, in the unlikely event that you are reading this, STOP. Unless you you want to ruin the surprise of part of your Mother's Day gifts.

Okay, now on with the update...

Yep, totally forgot to do this last week. Though in truth, I don't think I would have had anything to post then. But this week, I do actually have a few odds 'n ends...

Thanks to the 30 Day Organizational Challenge I whipped up some quick little valances for the windows in my little craft room. Nothing fancy, but they seem to work pretty well in those horrid basement windows...they cover up a bit of the natural ugliness yet still let in the precious little natural light that the room so desperately needs.



Also for in the room, I covered a couple of Velveeta (well, the generic version of Velveeta) boxes with some fabric scraps from the valances. Again, nothing fancy, but they look better than before they were covered.



On the knitting front, I finally finished Annie's scarf. Now that spring seems to have actually arrived. Well, it's still down in the 30s most nights...maybe she can wear it then.



And now that I feel I have the basics (and I really do mean just the basics) of knitting down, I decided to go back to crocheting for a project. I'm working on a baby afghan to donate to Newborns in Need. Of course, it doesn't look much like an afghan yet.



As well as my own projects, I helped the boys (mostly in the form of wielding the hot iron) finish up their Mother's Day gifts for their Grammy. (Grandmother's still need to be made.) Anyway, Max made this cute little suncatcher (which I really wish I could keep for myself)...



And Gray's present to Grammy is a t-shirt. His part of the project actually occurred early last fall. But as soon as I saw this drawing of his, I knew it was going to become Mother's Day gifts. And this past week, I finally got around to turning his artwork into a tee for Grammy. (Grandmother will also be getting one of these treasures. And I really think I must make one for myself, too!) Annie was gracious enough to model it for me, as I thought it would photograph better that way.



And I do believe that completes this creating update.

**If you would like to read how creative the boys can be in other endeavors, please feel free to read the post below. LOL

creating update (week 1)

I posted a week or so ago about how Keri Smith's Living Out Loud reinvigorated me. It reminded me of how much I love to create. It's always been a big part of my life. Until the demands of motherhood grew so overwhelming that playing and creating just for me simply had to take a back-seat. I don't think allowing that to happen was wise. So I have decided to make a concerted effort to put a little more "me-time" back into my life. And I've decided that I'm going to update my blog once a week with my efforts...I'm hoping that will motivate me to squeeze in as many of those precious moments as possible.

On the scrapbooking front:

Completed 3 layouts this week (been a loooong time since I've done that many layouts in such a short time--of course, it did help that it was winter break, and that I had 2 whole days without the kids).





































































On the sewing front:

Made this little purse for a friend's daughter's birthday. Had a lot of fun with this. The green fabric is from an old shirt of Annie's. Just kind of made the whole thing up as I went. Was the first time I ever tried making French seams...wanted to use them so I could hide the strap inside them down the sides for a little added stability. I simply love how it turned out! Hopefully Bryn will like it, too.







Miscellaneous:

I decided to try my hand at knitting. I love the look of knitting, but I've never learned to do it. Thought it was time to try. So far, I'm not making anything per se. I'm just practicing the stitches. Picked up the "knit" fairly quickly, had a lot more trouble with the "purl". I actually think knowing how to crochet may be hindering the process a bit...I'm having a hard time adjusting how I hold the yarn. But I'll get it eventually...just have to keep plugging away.

I also worked a bit on my needlepoint picture, but I didn't take a photo of that.


All in all, a pretty good week. Wish I'd done some writing as well, but I can't do everything at once, I suppose.