A long goodbye

Well, yesterday I decided it was "the" day.

As mentioned, once Hunter's body decided to age, it was a rapid decline. My once perpetual puppy was decidedly old. Her body was not co-operating. She had more bad days than good days. She was always known for the smile on her face. She wasn't smiling like she used to. Last week I decided it was a day-to-day. Stop greeting me I said with a lopsided smile. Stop following me. Stop bouncing up the stairs from outside (with a hitch in her step, but my once bouncy dog continued with a little spring in her step - she NEVER walked where she could run, and she continued to try to do so). Stop eating. Show me a "big" sign.


Wednesday night she was a little more restless. She went out to do her duty and got lost. I had to get her and guide her. She followed me around the kitchen for her bedtime treat but with less gusto and I had to hold it in front of her and show her where it was; however, she did snap it up when she found it. I figured I'd call the vet the next morning. She lay in "different than usual" spots in the downstairs area; this was unusual. Apparently she went out for hubby in the morning but was even more lost and confused. When I got up she was lying in another "different than usual" area. She went out for me and when she came in, she just couldn't seem to get warm. She had tremors.


I gave her some juicy treats. She snapped them up. But I knew it was time and called my favourite vet. Hated to keep getting him to "do the dirty" on my dogs, but... he made it easier for all of us.


Hunter and I spent our last hours together. I locked out the other dogs and just pet and cuddled and treated my shadow of many years. When I took her to the vet's for the last time, we were both more than ready. It was time. I gave her a few
more special treats and the vet was s'prised at her appetite... and the strength of her vital organs even tho' her body was betraying her. She was very peaceful and, I do believe, thankful. She had a good life and she rested with her favourite person by her side. No tears. It was a good time and we had the best of times. I know she's running and jumping and yapping up a storm at the Rainbow Bridge. She was always the happiest, friendliest and smiliest dog I ever had or met... I hope she's smiling again.

~Shelley

Okay, she's not 105

But she's old, lol.

Dog years. Aging. It sucks. The old rule of thumb was 7 human years = one dog year. That has been revamped. Partially because a one year old dog is capable of reproduction while a 7 year old human is not... no kidding.

Whatever, my Hunter is still old. She's over 15 now and I guess, then, that by the chart, she'd be in her mid-80's. Funny. You don't notice the big changes in the first year or two. Well, let's be realistic... you do notice your pup gets bigger, a tad smarter, housebroken and hopefully integrates well into the household. But this all takes place over the first year or two and the time in between that and "old age" is not as dramatic.

However, since telling Hunter in late summer that she could not have the run of the house anymore (she was getting a bit forgetful of where the backdoor was), the changes ARE dramatic. She has AGED. The dog that approached her 15th birthday was old by the calendar, but still spry and aware. The changes in the last few months have taken that spry old dog to a slower, more confused, less aware of her surroundings shadow. It sucks. The path to that final time is FAST. Changes measured sometimes daily rather than by weeks or months.

She goes outside still, but it takes her a loooooong time from her pillow bed to the backdoor and she sometimes gets "lost" in the backyard. She eventually finds the door to come in, but... it's noticeable the change. She doesn't do laps of the yard as much. She doesn't move about the house as much. She doesn't see well, her hearing is almost non-existent and her sense of smell is dulled. She gets incredibly cold, right to her bones, and needs a blanket (loves the "towel blanket"
we drape her with and wears it proudly). But she still looks forward to her food dish (still once a day) and her treats. Oh those treats. Woe to the silly human who forgets that bedtime cookie (and it must be a marrowbone or beef-basted cookie [grin]). She can still get up the "fight" for the right to her bedtime cookie and will throw herself against the glass kitchen door if you forget, lol. Better, too, that you put it on the floor in front of her as that "pacman-like snap" is deadly, lol. And when she does wake up to greet you, that tail still wags, even tho' the body is a little less steady and wobbly, and there is still a slight smile to her face.

She's not ready (and truth-be-told, nor am I) to let go yet.

No, she's not 105, but she's OLD and losing more ground each day. Sigh.

~Shelley

It's Official

Yup... I am now a Stampin' Up Demonstrator. So make sure you keep me in mind when you're thinking of ordering anything related to papercrafting [wink]. You can see all the products on the Stampin' Up website.

So now you know why I also need to do a clean-up and out as mentioned in the previous post, lol?!

About three years ago, I decided to create an album for my parents' 50th Anniversary. Looking back, I know I was nuts to create a 70 some page album spanning their entire life together, including their "growing up" years and also pages from many family members. I had never scrapped a day in my life and in fact, thought it was a rather silly and expensive hobby. I mean... why spend all that time on pretty papers, sayings, journalling and a book when you could buy ready-made photo sheets and just plunk pics into those or get little photo corners or those albums where you could lift the clear sheet and just stick pics in?! However, I had so much freakin' fun experimenting and playing with papers, glues, embellishments and basic techniques that... the rest, as they say, is history. Why not just jump in with both feet?! I was hooked. Hook, line and sinker.

Then came the cards. I will NEVER make "homemade" cards I said. I didn't understand why anyone would spend all that time, energy and not-to-mention money on a card that will just be thrown out?! I mean, really, it is so easy just to buy one at the myriad of stores... especially dollar stores. Geesh, what did I know?! Never say never. They may get thrown out, but the process... the creating, the playing... just puts a smile on my face. It's the journey, right?


I was hooked. Paper. Embellishments. Ink. Diecutting machines (my latest and I think greatest is the Big Shot Pro that my husband bought me for Christmas - but it is honking HUGE [grin]). Ribbon. And the STAMPS! Good, golly, gosh... I was/am addicted.

So... what better way to feed my passion than to sign up with a company that gets a lot of my money anyway, lol. A company that has all the above and more. Something to feed my passion.

So... the craft area. It's so gotta get organized, lol!

~Shelley

Be afraid... be very, very afraid...

Happy New Year!

With the New Year comes New Year's resolutions and while I am so not a fan of making New Year's resolutions (yes... because I break them, lol), this year, I have made one for my own (and hubby's) well-being.

Organize and purge. Yup. I need to. For my own sake. I am trapped in a messy state of my own making. I am a crafter. I know the collecting and hoarding of stuff is part of our make-up, that our "stuff" encroaches on other spaces in the home and our lives in general. So many of us have shared this on online lists and we've triumphed that we're not alone [grin]. However, not only is this dampening my creativity, it is throwing me back into a depressive state that I need to (mentally and physically) climb out of. Many of us, when we hit that "wall" of realization, grab a partner, like in some of the t.v. shows or the businesses created to help re-organize homes and rooms, but I am finding I work much better on my own. When someone is there, even with good intentions, I feel judged and guilty and suspicious of their thoughts. I don't want someone else to label me as disorganized, a clutterer (which I own that I am) and wondering why in the world I would let my stuff come to this or why the need to have ALL that... lol. I beat myself up enough.

So... I have started with my craft area and vow to get it under control. Manageable chaos, lol. There are two small cupboards in the basement. One I had already laid claim to and the other that had old childrens' toys and games. Both have now been emptied. New shelving units have been installed and now begins the process of weeding out before some gets put back. Particularly the painting books, magazines and surfaces. I'd really like to purge some of these but realize it may be an ongoing project later as not only will it require time to go thru each piece, but also to spend computer time deleting entries in a database that holds all the information on those books and magazines. Baby steps. But need the boxes accessible and neat. So those I will put back in the far cupboard as I don't use them regularly.

The more accessible cupboard will get some of my scrapbooking stash. The "inventory" so-to-speak. The extra pads of paper and cardstock etc. so that the wall units installed by hubby a couple of years ago can be cleaned up and re-purposed for more go-to stuff.


Lofty plans, but I have begun to chip away. Slow and steady. Lots of breaks. It didn't happen overnight so I cannot expect to clean it up overnight. This is not a 1/2 hour t.v. show, lol.

Then maybe I can start tackling the other corners of my house and life. Those cupboards and drawers... hey, I know I'm not the only one who puts stuff outta sight, outta mind, lol.

Here are some "before" pictures. Wish me luck and hopefully I will soon post "after" pictures.

~Shelley

Don't ask how long

LOL.

The actual card took no time at all. The process of "ripping off masks and applying glitter"... well, let's just say, it's not a dollar card, lol. It's priceless .

~Shelley

Torture by any other name

Cruel and unusual punishment, make work project. Call it what you will, lol.

So why am I doing it? Maybe just to say "I can"?!

What am I talking about? Well... I've been cardmaking/crafting again. Went to a friend's yesterday. We'll call her the Glitter Queen, lol. That girl loves all that glitters. Made four cards. EVERYone had glitter of some sort. So... having learned a couple new techniques, I decided to play today.

Whew, gotta be patient (and/or certifiable). These are a LOT of work. You take a sheet of foil outline stickers, cut some "transfer tape" (makes a reverse image) and burnish the transfer tape to the sticker of choice, lift EVERYTHING (positive outline and negative "insides") onto the transfer tape, get some double-sided sticky sheet and put a suitably-sized piece onto cardstock, lift the protective top sheet, and burnish the sticker from the transfer tape onto the sticky sheet. Now comes the fun (ya, right, she says). Get some good tweezers and lift off portions of the stickers that are acting as "masks" and burnish some glitter onto the exposed portion with the fatty part of your finger pad. Repeat until it's all done to your satisfaction with multiple colours of glitter. Then you cut out the image and use it. Clear as mud? Easy-peasy she says.

I've definitely gone to the darkside. Me who is not a huge fan of glitter (the mess part, not the look, lol). Will now put my pieces together onto a card and post when done.

~Shelley

A blast from the past...

A lot has happened since I last posted. A lot of "stuff" (errands; dog grooming - this I like as it gives me mad money, lol; housework - did I tell you this is a "hobby" of mine and therefore I don't have "time for hobbies"? LOL; cardmaking and a Stampin' Up Girls' Night Out party here;... life) and a lot of, well, nothing, lol. You know, busy making busy.

So, today I was on Facebook and Mo's Digital pencil is one of my "likes". She posted a couple digi-images (for those of you "not in the know", these are "stamps" on your 'puter that you can re-size and print out to your heart's content - no fuss, no muss, no mess!) of cute Christmas doggies. Yup, not shelties. A cute Lhasa with it's Santa Hat on and a cute lab pup with a Santa hat in it's mouth.

Now, I KNOW Mo has or did have a border collie. How do I know this? Well, I had previously bought an image from her that was "sheltie like" and she informed me it
was of her border collie. Knowing it probably wasn't too much of a stretch, having insider information about this border collie lol, I taunted about wanting a sheltie... Of course, dog people are breed specific, unlike cat people who just like any cute kitty item, and others were looking for their own breeds. This insider information brought out the devil in me, though, and I wouldn't let go. So she promptly produced (ya, within less than an hour no less) a cute collie-type image with a candycane in it's mouth. But the Santa hat is sooooo cute, I whined.

Gee, and with that, up popped a collie-type dog (close enough to a sheltie for me, lol) with a darn Santa hat tilted at a rakish angle on his head! So I had to buy it!

Devil made me do it.

Further conversation prompted Mo to declare HER border would never stoop to wearing a Santa hat. Just wouldn't stand for it. Well, I said, "my" shelties would and did and have and probably still will, lol. Found the blasts from the past and posted them for everyone that had been on Facebook and just felt I had to put them here.


So, without further adieu, I share with you a pic of Sheena and Cricket at the Obedience Club Christmas party some 22 years ago dressed up as Reindogs. Yes, they won, lol. And of course, as I was hunting for those old, scanned photos, I found one of dear Sheena with a Santa hat. Too freakin' cute.

Enjoy.

~Shelley