Fall happenings

Brrrr! It's getting cold here in the Pacific Northwest and WET!!! The latter shouldn't be surprising to anyone as there's a price for all of our velvet greenery. It's in the form of raindrops...lol. I love living here though and can't imagine being anywhere else. Living near a beautiful mountain like Ranier and being nestled between two ranges, the Olympics and Cascades, makes for quite a nature show. This time of year is my favorite. I have never really understood why the cooler days and frequent rain squalls are so compelling for me but when I get a rare break and take a walk through a wooded area, the smell of pine and rich soil reminds me some of the reasons why I love living here.
As for daily life, there's been nothing much going on. With the days being so short I've taken some extra time to indulge in a book series by Christine Feehan. I am not normally one to go for romance novels but I do like paranormal-romance novels...lol. I have also discovered an audio book is a great way to multi-task. You enjoy the story and can still get something else done. It's also kind of nice to totally sprawl out and relax while the words ring in your head.
I've finished another comission (via audio books) and have nothing much else to do other than begins a meal plan for Thanksgiving. I LOVE to cook and this is one of my favorite holidays! I have some skill in the kitchen but am far from being a good cook. I'll save that honor for my mom and Grandma.
There's plans for some artsy felted ornaments for Christmas this year and I am going to comission my boys to help out so hopefully there will be some little treasures they can pass on to family and loved-ones!

Happy Fall everyone!

Here's the little man then and now...

These are the parent lions. LOVE the male and his mane!

Remiss even for me...

Ok. This is pretty bad...lol. I've been remiss in my postings and have no excuse other than one heck of a busy school year with the boys. I've neglected my outside family and upgrades on the house in an attempt to get the all three boys settled into the school year. Lol...whew! It's been a busy couple of months!

I've been lucky enough to receive a couple of private comissions for some art pieces and kept busy with a family of lions and a couple of knitting projects. I've got two more to finish before the end of the month...yipee! The Lions were a challenge and I underbid myself...big-time. As usual, I felt bad about asking a fair price for them...lol. I am happy that their adopter is thrilled with them and that's worth more to me than any amount of money. They turned out beautifully and I am kinda proud of myself...just a little!

All the fish kids are good and the new tank, a tall forty gallon, is finally cycled and full of four cute little Goldfish. One was aquired by nefarious means (fish-napping) but since I originally paid for him I feel no remorse...lol. He was a Wal-Mart fish, cost $2.88, and was such a tiny little scrub! I dubbed him A-cup for the two little lobes that perch on his head. My friend had him for five months and it's amazing how big he's gotten. He's at least tripled in size and those little lobes are now a good "b" size...lol. Since he's a confirmed boy his name has been changed to Strapping Jock...if you get my meaning!

Fall happenings

I am not one of those frequent bloggers but I have been following a few with interest. It's amazing how many are wonderful recources for gadgets and information! To those of you who keep blog like that, I salute you!

The boys are all back in school and we are getting them shaped up for the new year. The youngest is having a hard time staying in his seat and not talking...lol. The middle son wants to go to school just for recess and lunch so we (me) are having to refocus him and teach him some self-discipline. He's in the third grade now and there's quite a bit more work for him...at least in this private school.

The Hubs is working at the Western Washington State Fair...again! He vowed never again but apparently, "never" means something different to him! Here's a link to the Fair. It's the sixth largest in the U.S. and the place I entered my first art competition. I will see if I can find a picture of that little bear. It was two computers ago...lol.

Puppies are doing fine and I get updates from almost everyone on how they are growing! My mom just loves Flint and Liza got to see him last week! They were so cute running around together in the house! He still won't go down the stairs in our house though he's twice the size now...lol. What a nerd!

I have been keeping busy art-wise with a couple of private comissions and have at least five pieces in their final stages to list on E-Bay. Anyone else notice how slow it is right now?

The weather has been just wonderful! One of the nicest Indian Summers we've had in a couple of years. I snapped a couple of photos of the big FULL moon we've had recently. It could be clearer but I failed to find my tripod for that perfect stillness you need for night shooting.

Trips and reunions

Went to a Koi and Goldfish show last weekend in Portland, Or and was it ever fun! I of course came home with a new fish and am actively hungry for more...lol. This would involve setting up another tank so, there's another shopping quest via Craigslist. Little Daubee is an import from China and I bought her from the same man I bought my gorgeous calico Lionhead, Mai Tai, from. It was nice to meet him in person and save some money as his fish are pricey...lol.

I've been a member of Facebook for a few months now, after a friend invited me to join so we could keep in touch. Things were uneventful there until the last week or so. I received at least 6 friend invites and am happily in the double-digits for buddies on there. Most all of them are from my college days. It's been alot of fun reconnecting with people from the last of the "single and carefree" days. I highly recommend checking it out and seeing for yourself. Everyone's married or career minded. Most have kids and are happily serving in a ministry (it was a Bible college we all attended). Some have had some bad cards dealt to them but overall, everyone seems to be doing well. It's funny to see how close or far we all landed from our goals and dreams.

The pups are almost eight weeks old and really giving me a run for my money. Whew! Littlest Tootsie is leaving us tomorrow and it will be tough. She's such a dolly and just loves everyone. Claire is leaving next week and Flint the week after. We haven't placed Black Berry and Kiwi yet but I trust their homes will reveal themselves shortly.

Puppies everywhere

The puppies are five weeks old today and they are just about the best thing next to my kids!

I snapped some adorable pictures and will post a few. If I could keep any of them it would be Black Berry. She's got this quiet grace about her. She loves to sit back and watch things then decide when to jump in and play. She is by herself alot of the time, sniffing plants, or exploring corners. When she's done she climbs up in your lap to either chew, lick, or sleep. What a dolly!

My second fav would be Flint the only boy in the litter. My only consolation about him is my mom is adopting him so we'll get to see him often!

On another personal note, I entered a challenge for a thread group on Yahoo and out of 135 entries I was one of 12 nominees! Yippeee! I didn't place any higher than that but it was still quite nice to get a nod like that. The same group also picked me to be their Artist of the Month, Revisited. There was a fun little interview and some pics of my past works...all good for the ego and desire to create...lol.

Here's a couple of links and pics for all my ramblings:

http://www.threadanimals.blogspot.com/

The first post...

...can often set the mood for a long time!

Sometimes the best thing to say is...nothing.