Piper

I'm Thankful for this bundle of love. 

She came into our lives at the perfect time.

We were mourning the loss of our beloved Roscoe.

Her sister and brother are champion show dogs.

This is her sister Tina the "Super Model."

Piper is a champion cuddler. 

She wants nothing more than to sit in our laps and be loved.

"Pet me please'

 

  She concentrates intensely when I talk to her trying to figure out what I'm saying?

 She's very curious and loves to be in the middle of whatever I'm working on.
I think Roscoe must have told her I need help on my projects.

Piper has filled our grieving hearts with love.

Do you have a a fur baby you are thankful for?

Thanks for checking it out and have a great week!

Meet Piper

My mom and I were scheduled to go meet a dog in Pismo Beach last Monday, but a series of events delayed our trip.  Sometimes serendipity has a way of intervening on your behalf and I truly belief this was the case in our situation. 

In the simplest of words, serendipity means a "happy accident."

Had we gone on Monday this would not be the dog I would have met. 

This is the dog we were meant to have.

Meet our new family member Piper.  She is a one and half year old Sealyham Terrier, sister of the original dog I was interested in.

  After many hours of conversations with two different breeders.  It was a consensus that this dog would be a better fit for our family.  She's got some spunk.   She is referred to as the "Wild Child" of the liter.  To put it into perspective, Seelyham Terriers are known as the "couch potatoes" of the terrier breeds, just so you don't think I'm adopting an out of control wild dog. 

Here she is just after getting groomed.  She already follows me all over the house and sits at my feet while I'm on the computer.  She is so sweet.

The journey to pick her up started with an over night trip spent in Solvang.  It's an adorable little Danish town on the coast north of Santa Barbara.

We had lunch here.

We drove up in the morning and stayed at the Petersen Village Inn. 

A very quaint and nice place to stay in the center of all the shopping. 

We enjoyed strolling the streets and wine tasting the rest of the afternoon. 

It was nice doing a girl's trip with my mom.  I can't believe I didn't have anyone take our picture!

The next morning I drove up to Santa Maria and met Piper.   

It was a quick 30 minute drive through wine vineyards and rolling hills.

Many of you told me to go with the tug on my heart and I did. I just knew she was the right dog for us.
She was bouncing around like a rabbit when I met her.  This was a dog I could fall in love with. If you haven't heard of a Sealyham you probably aren't alone.  Sealyham Terriers are very rare.  I only recently have come to know of the breed.  They don't shed, they're highly intelligent, great family dogs, and funny.  They were popular in the 20's and 30's.  Alfred Hitchcock used them in many of his movies.  May West, Cary Grant, and Gary Cooper all had Sealys.  After doing some research I decided they were the right breed for us.

Her name was "Sabine," but she didn't come when we called her that and she just seemed more like a Piper to us.  So Piper it is.  Cami stayed home from school sick one day last week and Piper kept her company on the couch.  She's still adjusting to our home and is a little shy.  Her crazy side is starting to peep out every once in awhile.
We took her to a soccer tournament this weekend and she did great, she likes kids, other dogs, AND she likes our bunny Rosie, Yay! 

We still miss our Roscoe terribly, but Piper is filling our hearts with love, happiness, and laughter.

Thanks for checking it out.

When Is The Right Time???

When is it the right time after losing your best friend to add another member to your family?  This is what our family is facing right now.  Sorry for those of you that might not know what I'm talking about.  We had to say goodbye to our dog Roscoe a little over a month ago.

I feel like I have a hole in my heart that only a four legged furry friend can fill.  Have you experienced this before?  I really didn't envision getting a dog so soon after Roscoe's death, but I think she would understand?  Our family feels incomplete without a dog member.  I think it's a testament of how much she was loved.

I've been to shelters to look into adopting and we went to look at a Westie puppy last week in a home.  We ended up walking away without the puppy.  Something just wasn't quite right and I couldn't put my finger on it?

My kids were VERY disappointed to say the least, but I think I'll know when the right dog comes along.  I need to go with my gut.

Monday I'm driving about five hours away to see this girl.  She is a one and a half year old Sealyham Terrier.  Never heard of a Sealyham?  Me neither, till I met one at the park where my girls play soccer.  I've been researching the breed (and many more terriers) and I think a Sealy would make the perfect addition to our family.  They are referred to as the "couch potato of terriers," very loving, smart, little to no health problems, not barky, and non-shedding.  Every Sealy owner I've talked to has told my once you own a Sealy you will never have another kind of dog.  The woman I met in the park has had three of them.     

Roscoe can never be replaced in our hearts, but I think there is enough room in there to add some more love.

Wish me luck!

I would love to hear your stories (and see your picture) about how you found or lost your beloved pet.  Words of wisdom from you pet lovers out there are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for Checking It Out.

 

Do You Look Like Your Pet?

We have all heard the theory that we look like our pets?

Source

I don't think I look like my little white dog Roscoe?  I've got a few gray hairs but not white yet.  I keep my eyebrows plucked and my whiskers shaved.  Ha Ha! 

She is a cute little thing, I'm tall.  "Little" is never used to describe me.

I have been known to wear animal prints, so maybe we dress a like?

This is my daughter Cami with her bunny Rosie.  Cami has blue/green eyes and a sprinkling of freckles.  Cami can be quite loud and funny!

Rosie has pink eyes, white fur and no freckles that we can see?
She never makes a peep.

This is our pet bull frog, Froggy.  He lives in our pond.  He's about the size of a dinner plate, huge!

We got him and a few more tadpoles at the Del Mar Fair a couple of years ago and he grew into this big daddy.

Frogs freeze when you shine a bright light at them at night. 

He held still long enough to get these pics.

He lives in our backyard in our pond.  I built it when we first moved in ten years ago.  Froggy lives with his fish friends.  Also mostly Del Mar Fair "rescues" that have multiplied over the years.

The kids love to sit on the wall and feed the fish.

Here they are with my dad in their p.j.'s.  They are much bigger now but still enjoy doing this.

Feeding frenzy!

The waterfall creates a soothing sound.

 I've started my swim work outs again now that the weather is warmer.
 

Hmm, maybe I do look like one of my pets?

Froggy and I look like twins when I swim.

(A bright light was shined in my eyes to get this picture)

We have the same fins.

Maybe there's something to this looking like your pet theory?

Do you look like one of your pets?

I would love to hear about it.

Thanks for checking it out!

Finally- The Finished Slip Cover

Remember about a week ago when I was bragging about how great our San Diego weather is? Well since last Saturday, it's been raining. Right now it's pouring. I usually don't like rain, but today I was happy about it. It was so nasty outside we canceled our plans for the day and stayed home. I finally finished (almost) my slip cover for my couch. I still need to order new replacement high density foam for the the saggy seat cushions.
 Here is the finished couch.

Here is where I left off last time I blogged. I had to run to a soccer tournament. It was a busy soccer weekend. Our club was hosting the tournament and not only did we watch all my daughter's games, but I also worked at one of the venues. Casey's team won the whole tournament (in the rain). Oh yeah, did I mention it's the week before Christmas? Needless to say, I didn't have time for much sewing this weekend.

My last blog detailed how I used beige Ikea velvet drapes that I already had.  I dyed them gray to use on my couch as a slip cover. After measuring my couch, I determined I needed three more curtain panels to complete the project. I already had four panels sitting in my closet. They come in two packs, so I bought two more packs. I ended up using approximately 21 yards of fabric which equals seven curtain panels. I have one extra dyed panel that I can use for the backside of pillows.

I didn't use a pattern, I followed the lines of the upholstery in most cases. I detoured from this technique when doing the front of each arm. I traced the shape of the flat front of the arm on to paper and used it to make the shape. I like a more fitted slip cover look. To get a more tailored look, I added a zipper to the back right hand corner of the slip cover. I was afraid if I didn't, I would rip the seams taking the cover on and off.

I haven't worked with velvet before. Not sure I'll do it again? It's not fun to work with! It has a mind of it's own. When the front sides of the velvet are facing each other when sewing, the fabric clings and puckers. The fabric also "grew" while I sewed. I don't know if that's a characteristic of velvet or if it's because I washed and dyed it in very hot water? I'm not sure if that contributed to the stretching? Anyway, the stretching caused the project to take even more time than I anticipated. I would measure, cut, sew, and have to re-sew because the fabric had stretched and looked baggy on the couch. This would require turning the slip cover inside out, putting the slip cover back on the couch, lining it up perfectly, re-pinning, taking it off, re-sewing, putting it back on, and so on. It doubled my project time. I finished today, yeah for me!

Here is the before.

Notice there's no dog on this one? Let's keep it that way Roscoe.

Now I need to find fabric to make new pillows, and paint the walls, and rip up the carpet, paint the concrete, and ....

I'll have to wait till after Christmas and another rainy day.


Do you ever start projects like this right before the Holidays or a big event at your house?

I think I enjoy the pressure of the deadline to get it done on time?

Is that a little psycho. of me?

Thanks for checking it out!

The after.

Rosie and Roscoe

These are two of our pets, Rosie our bunny and Roscoe our dog. We also have bull frogs and fish outside in our pond. These two live inside. Rosie lives in the kitchen. She's a house bunny and is potty trained to a litter box like a cat. It took about two days for her to figure out the litter box. Rabbits usually like to go to the bathroom in the same spot every time, so you just place the box in the corner they have designated as the bathroom. They are very clean like cats.

Roscoe is thirteen years old and she lives where ever she wants. I refer to her as my "first baby" because we've had her longer then the kids. I'm a much better disciplinarian with my kids then I am with my dog. I have never figured out how to control the barking issue? I started watching the Dog Whisperer too late!

Cami is usually the one that takes Rosie out to play. The pet store said Rosie was a Dwarf-Lop Eared rabbit? They were completely wrong, but who cares we love her.

We can't let Rosie roam the house completely free because she likes to chew. She's particularly fond of carpet and electrical wires, so she must be supervised when she runs the house. She ruined the carpet in the living room. It was one of the reasons I decided to pull up the carpet and paint the concrete.

We've had Rosie for about a year. We rescued her from a very dirty, gross pet store. She was in the first pet store we went to. It was not a spur of the moment decision. We looked into adopting, but didn't find any bunnies with as much personality as Rosie. Rosie was just so friendly, she would nudge your hand like a dog to be pet. She was in a cage with a bunch of much smaller bunnies. The first time we saw her we left and continued the search. We came back about a week later and decided if she was still at the pet store we would get her. Her cage had not been cleaned in that weeks time. She was the only bunny left.

We had had her checked out by a vet. and she was healthy. It was meant to be!

Roscoe tolerates Rosie like an old dog tolerates a puppy. Rosie is much more interested in Roscoe then the the other way around.

They will play when Roscoe initiates a game of tag. They race around the house, Roscoe barking of course, and Rosie jumping in the air like a bucking bronco.
If you are thinking of getting a bunny just know it is a ten year commitment, yes they live that long. They require a never ending supply of hay and fresh water. They chew, but I've read it gets better when they are spayed or neutered. The litter box needs to be changed at least twice a week and they need companionship. Either human, friendly dog, or another bunny. The good news is NO BARKING!!!

Most of the time Roscoe just ignores Rosie and takes a nap.