Can't.....stop......posting....

At the Denver zoo.

Yesterday

Yesterday was down right hot!I was going to take the puppies on a walk (we're leash training) when Ron suggested we load everything up and head to the reservoir. The reservoir is the closest thing we have to a lake- no sandy beaches, but plenty of cold, turquoise water. The hills rumple and bunch up into foothills, and in the distance is a crisp ring of Rockies.
We unloaded the whole crew and the dogs were off like a shot, ears flapping, hunting up old bones bleached by the sun. The boys, Ron, and I made our way down the shale embankment, landslide by landslide. By the time we got down the 90 degree sun had baked its way through our clothes and I was HOT!
We had just returned from Denver, Co, where we had fought monstrous crowds to go see Estes Park and the surrounding mountains. We were chastised for standing on a planting bed to get a picture I later deleted. Two rock chucks had made an appearance at the picnic area and you would have thought Pegasus was landing with all the excitement and picture taking.
But here, in one of my favorite places in the world, there were no sounds. Peace lay like a blanket and there wasn't a house or person in sight. Just a hawk cruising high in the powder blue sky.
I stripped down to my undershorts and tank top and got in the water. COLD! My blood turned to "rootbeer in my veins" as I tread down the scummy rocks to sand.
After cooling off, I sat on some sandstone rocks to let the sun warm and dry me. The boys were happy to throw rocks endlessly into the water. They had tried a bit of swimming, but didn't like the freezing effect on their nether regions.
Eventually life called. We loaded the boys, wet and sandy, into the car, then called the dogs, wet and sandy, to load themselves into the car. We then loaded ourselves and went home, a good place to go.

(pic is the reservoir in winter. We didn't chop ice to go swimming!)

So here's some post Labor Day action....

Kickin' it Meeteetse style!

Don't forget Fido!

Here are some of the things I've been working on for the Christmas Craft Fairs:
Round "cush" beds for the traditional dog
Modern "pillow" beds for the fresh, fun dog
and "swiss eyelet" collars for the....ah.... Swiss dog?

Frame Gottlieb von Koch - Full Cry - Fox Hunting

Frame Gottlieb von Koch - Full Cry - Fox Hunting

Want this for my library....

Sewing right along

Right now I am trying to cram in a ridiculous amount of sewing in my spare time. The second I get the boys down for naps or bedtime I shout "stay in your beds!" while running out the back door to my art shed.
I have three purses not yet started that I have promised my friends. Two are pretty easy, straightforward concepts, but the third is really complicated.
I also am trying to finish up some hats to send to my sister who is selling them at craft fairs this month
On top of that, A friend and I are going to hit a couple of Christmas craft fairs with a booth catering to canines. That means homemade dog beds, collars and leash sets, and biscuits.
Did I mention there is a coffee table over at Ana Whites's site that I really want to build?

All of this would be so much easier to do if I didn't have an actual life.

And so the summer closes....

Well, its been one of those summers... family, family vacations, training a young barrel horse, catching a fugitive, vbs, puppies, new website and business overhaul, bbqs, baptisms, and kids.
Yowza. Maybe one of these days I'll sit down and blog it all, but in lieu of that I think I'll post my favorite websites. Its like a web roll, but not my friends, just websites I love for one reason or another.

Drum roll please!!!

1. fuglyblog.com A snarky commentary on horse abuse, training, poor breeding practices, etc. all rolled together with a liberal coating of cuss words. It's full of mindless drones all agreeing with her, but I still seem to like it and check it every day!

2. knock-offwood.com Ever loved a Pottery Barn coffee table but choked at the price? Ana White has seriously awesome plans for every furniture piece in existence. I have a few marked to build at some point.

3. unhappyhipsters.com Just so funny. And smug. thank you to JoanE Kimball for adding this sarcastic delight to my life.

4. sewmamasew.com always great for a little sewing inspiration

5. howaboutorange.com this is an awesome website dedicated to inspiring and bizarre creativity. She will take you all over the "interwebs" in search of the fun, creative, and graphically pleasing.

6. heatherbailey.typepad.com I visit this one every so often when I need a shot of color and cute

7. cakewrecks.com this site makes me laugh out loud. I even snorted Diet Coke once. It happens.

8. starfall.com they are teaching LB how to read. Parenting is really so difficult.

9. etsy.com Really what else is there to say? HOURS wasted here, trolling for sewing ideas. If you've never been to etsy, you should really question if you are a human.

10. shabbyapple.com for when I need a cocktail dress. or a smoking jacket. or a sense of style.

So have fun wasting your good years on these sites. I always do!