my heart aches.

my longtime friend susan and her family
had to say goodbye to their beloved chocolate lab
coach on friday.
she called to see if i wanted to come say goodbye on
thursday night.
it broke my heart.
we were buds.
i would take care of him when they went out of town.
i loved that goofball like he was one of my own.
he knew i would always bring him treats everyday.
he knew he had to "give me ten" to get them.
taking coach on a walk was like walking a cross between a
greyhound and a bucking bronco.

my heart aches for them.
i know they miss him.
i do too.
when we lost our molly, some friends sent us a little story about
why dogs are only here for such a short time.
i choose to believe it.

a dog's purpose

(from a 6 yr old)

being a veterinarian, i had been called to examine a ten yr old

irish wolfhound named belker.

the dog's owner, wife and their 6 yr old son were

all very attached to belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

i examined belker and found he was dying of cancer.

i told the family we couldn't do anything for belker, and offered

to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

as we made arrangements, the husband and wife thought it

would be good for their son to observe the procedure.

they felt as though he might learn something

from the experience.

the next day, i felt the familiar catch in my throat as

belker's family surrounded him.

the 6 yr old seemed to be calm, petting the old dog

for the last time, that i wondered if he understood what 

was going on.

within a few minutes, belker slipped peacefully away.

the little boy seemed to accept belker's transition without

any difficulty or confusion.  we sat together for a while after

belker's death wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal

lives are shorter than human lives.  the little boy who 

had been listening quietly, piped up, "i know why."

startled, we all turned to him. what came out of his

mouth stunned me. i had never heard a more comforting

explanation.

he said, "people are born so that they can learn

how to live a good life...like loving everybody all the

time and being nice, right?'  the little boy

continued, "well, dogs already know how to do that,

so they don't have to stay as long."  

live simply.

love generously.

care deeply.

speak kindly.

rest in peace, sweet coach.

 

it got worse.

10 years ago was the last time i went to the
arts & crafts festival in hillsboro.

10 years ago was the last time i got a flu shot.

i had planned on going to hillsboro, but since
i let my dad convince me to get a flu shot, that
trip never happened.  (was it wonderful meg?)

10 years ago this happened:
me + flu shot =  24 hours of pure....well you know.

friday, this happened:
me + flu shot = 24 hours of....yah, same thing.

it is official....i will NEVER get a flu shot again.
i don't care if the surgeon general shows up on my
front door step and demands that i get one.
i will punt him (or her) off my porch!
flu shots are my enemy.
thanks dad.

laundry gadgets.

i'm kinda a sucker for commercials.
how do you think i ended up with the foaming toothpaste?
they draw me in...big time.
i should really be a product tester.
i would be so good at it!
actually, i guess i am a product tester.
i just don't get paid for it!
hmmm.  i need to change that somehow.

i blame it on my late grandma.
she was the same way.
she had every "as seen on TV" gadget known to man.
sooooo, when i saw this, i ran right out and got one.

ok, so i didn't go that exact moment.
but i thought about it.

it is awesome!  i love it.  it makes everything smell sooo good.
oh, and it helps with that other stuff like
static cling and wrinkles, whatever.  it smells good!
did i mention that it smells good.

i also got some new laundry baskets.

they collapse.

and i love that.

i don't have a lot of room for those big plastic ones.

plus, they always seem to be full. 

happy friday...yes friday.

i have to go get a flu shot now.

urgh!

this week needs to end.

for some reason this week.
if it can go bad it will.
not horribly bad, but just semi-bad.

 ********************************************
for the first time in a long time i had to cancel an evening's worth of appointments.
flu, 24 hour bug,  food poisoning?  don't know for sure.
but it was awful!!!!!!!
i couldn't even stand up straight without feeling nauseated.
it started after i ate one of those 10 for $10 heat & serve meals from the
frozen food section though.
there are 9 left in my freezer...i'm scared to touch them :)

********************************************

apparently when you spray paint one spiders web.
all of them gang up on you.
they know just what to do too.
leaving their webs right in your walking path.
leaping, yes leaping, from their webs right onto you.
leaving wonderful bites.
it's all happened since the spray paint post.

********************************************

i tried a new toothpaste.
aqua fresh iso foaming gel.
i learned this:  you only need A LITTLE BIT!
i pumped it out onto my electric toothbrush,
stuck it in my mouth and started it up.
holy cow...i looked like a pitbull  with rabies, foaming at the mouth.
it was pouring out of my mouth and foaming everywhere.
it was all over my face, my clothes, the sink, down my arm.
i think if i would of closed my mouth it would of started
foaming out my nose and ears.
i will give it another try, but using less than 1/4 of the amount from the
first time.

*************************************************
i dropped a big bottle of shine serum on the floor of the shop.
the pump top busted off.
shine serum was oozing out all over the floor.
that stuff is like vegetable oil...the more you try and wipe it up,
the more it spreads.
it took 1/2 a roll of paper towels to clean it up.
remember the movie goonies? the kid with the slick shoes?
that was me the rest of the day.

*************************************************

up until 1:30p on wednesday.
i thought it was thursday.
enough said!

*************************************************

since it is only thursday. (it is thursday right?)
i don't even want to speculate as to how
today & tomorrow are going to go.
but i'm keeping my fingers crossed!
wish me luck.

shirring up a storm

i love project runway.

i am so glad it is back.

i was having withdrawls...seriously!

a couple of weeks ago mitchell, who i hated  disliked VERY much,
(thankfully he was out!)

did a little technique that got me curious.
shirring or some call it smocking.

you remember those little sundresses?

the ones with all the little elastic puckering?

turns out, it's fairly easy.

like everything, i googled it.

(whoever invented google...i love you!)

you basically switch out your bobbin thread for elastic thread.

you have to wind it by hand.

then start stitching rows.

 i used my presser foot as a guide.

you won't see much at first.

it will pucker a little when you get a few rows down.

but when you add steam from your iron.

 POOF!

it all just puckers up like magic.

i put a little twist on the pillowcase dress for little girls.

after cutting off the top..about 5 inches (save those for the straps)

i shirred about 15 rows down.

i did hem the top 1/4 inch first.

when it was all shirred, if you don't like the ruffle at the top

you can run some elastic through it.

the bottom is the finished edge of the pillow case.

then use the leftover to make into straps,

or you could attach ribbon and just tie the straps.

either way it works. :)

 

since i was invited to a little birthday party for a 3 yr old.

i made one for her.

  i stuck a little matching messy bow on the strap

that she can wear on the dress or in her hair.

just cut the pillowcase shorter if you want to make it a top.

i have to say, i kinda impressed myself.

i'm a shirr genius!  hahahahahahahhaha.

now i'm making a grown up version.

i don't think a pillowcase will work for me though :)

any takers???

so i'm driving along in wichita
and i spot this.

i really don't know who got the better laugh.
me, or the guy driving next to me that saw me take the
picture.
i glanced over to him right after i took the picture.
he was laughing his head off.
....wonderful!!!!

so ladies, any takers?
:)

the dog who blogs: doodle drama

miley mae douglass

i have the bestest family
and the bestest friends.
follow my blog every
monday and see the world
through my big brown eyes.





apparently last week's post caused a little drama with the goldendoodles in the hood.
apparently they too, know how to email.
apparently those doodles, were fighting over me .
apparently i am more popular than i thought!

so doodles, let me clarify this for you.
you are all my bdff's
i like playing with all of you.
even you waffle...did you get the flowers that i sent?

you did?  fabulous !

you see doodles, we can have lots of bdff's cause we are nothing like
those humans who only seem to have one bff, unless your a blogger
human, then apparently you can have as many as you want.

please forgive me doodles, i didn't mean to step on any paws with my post.
can't we go back to old times?  you remember,
like when i had you doodles over for a pool party.

that was fun right?

or for the sleepovers.

wow marley, no offense but that's some serious bedhead.

oh, and then there was the picnic.

i will even forgive you waffle, for trying to steal my favorite spot.

i hope that we can all be friends.

cause that's what i want.

more than anything.

besides...how could you not love this face?

hey marley...call me.


MILEY