Happy Halloween!

I can't believe it's already Halloween. Where did this year go? Tonight, we'll leave that porch light on and see who stops by, but I doubt we'll get many treaters. Our neighborhood doesn't have many children.

Here's a fun picture of Sedona last year on Halloween. She was the devil, although I don't know why I had to dress her up for that :)

This is one of my favorite photos of her! Look at that tongue. The girl has attitude!!

Spooky and fun Spiders - RAK!!

Halloween is just around the corner, so I decided to make these super cute spiders from some wire a few beads. They're really easy to make, and they definitely dress up any haunted house. You can hang them from the ceiling, pose them on a table, have them peek over a picture frame, or string them on a necklance and creep everyone out.

I'm wondering, do you think I should sell these at my craft fair in late November? Do you think they would sell even though Halloween is over? How much would you pay for one of these little beaded spiders? Their bodies are about 1.5" long and depending on how wide you spread their legs, they can be about 3" wide. Leave me a comment answering these questions by midnight PST October 31, and one of these spiders may land on your doorstep! I'll randomly draw a name November 1 and post the winner by 1pm PST. Good luck!!

She's FOUR!!

I can't believe that our Sedona is four years old today! I can still remember how excited we were when I got the e-mail from her Grandma Denise saying that her Dane had just had puppies via AI. We actually were not going to get a puppy from that particular litter, but after much discussion, we decided to go ahead and get a little girl. Grandma Denise decided to let us have "purple girl." Since my favorite color is purple, I knew it was fate! We didn't actually decide on a name for her until a few weeks later, but I had already picked out quite a few options, and I combined them into one name that I would say real quickly: Sedona-Sierra-Savanah-Sienna. I had a whole "S" theme going on, can you tell? My first choice was always Sedona, but I liked the other three, too! Here she is, a mere 4 weeks old:

On January 9, 2004, my mom and I drove up to northern California to pick up my girl. What an exciting day! We were on the road for six hours. By the time we got to Grandma Denise's house, we were exhausted, but still so excited to meet Sedona. When we finally met all the puppies, Sedona was the first one to greet us! Here I am with my girl on that very day:

Wasn't she tiny?! She weighed in at a whopping 32 lbs, and she was only two months old!! Who knew she would grow up into this:

Now, you cannot tell me she isn't a HUGE dog!!

I'm so glad we got our Sedona-Wynonna. I can't even imagine life without her.

Snowman Christmas Card

Here's another Christmas card I completed today. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the blue cardstock. I also found these really cute snowflake stickers by Stampendous at my local stamp store. What do you think?

The BEST BREAD ever!!

I'm quite sure that you and your family will flip for this bread. It's called Pumpkin Apple Spice Bread, and it's delicious! Not only does it tast great, but it's good for you, too.

This recipe makes two 9x5" loaves, 16 slices per loaf

Preheat oven to 350F

Topping:

1 tbsp all-purpose unbleached white flour

5 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp canola oil

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Dry Ingredients:

In a large bowl, combine ~

3 cups all-purpose unbleached while flour

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ginger

Whisk dry ingredients with a wire whisk or fork until thoroughly blended.

Wet Ingredients:

In a large bowl, beat well with an electric mixer ~

16 oz can pumpkin

3/4 cup canola oil

2 1/4 cup granulated sugar

8 organic egg whites

Lastly, peel, core, and chop 2 large Granny Smith apples (about 2 cups)

With a wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring the batter by hand until well blended. Pour batter into two non-stick loaf pans sprayed with cooking oil. Sprinkle on topping. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the ceter of the loaf comes out clean. Cool on racks.

WARNING: This recipe is a long one! It's also quite messy, so prepare to be in the kitchen for a little while. Once you take a bite, though, you'll want to make it again!! Enjoy!

Call me Purple Hippo, please

I was reading CD's blog, and she had this really fun little game posted on her site. It looked like such a blast that I had to join in, too. Here it goes...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)-Benji Pathfinder (really??)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)-Chocolate Chocolate Chip (Hey, just like Snoop Doggie-Dog!!)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) - S-Wel (I am "swell." Ha!!)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)-Purple Hippo (now that's more like it!!)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)-Ann Los Angeles (Maybe I should shorten it to Ann LA!)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) -Welsa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)-The Pink Mocha (Okay, so I had to tell this one to Travis, and he was laughing so hard! We determined he'd be "The Red Beer" - He fights crime while loopy! He's a true Irish hero! LOL!)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)-William Bill (I'm not that hill-billy, swear!)

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)-Obsession Snickers (ROTF!!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )-Elaine Alan

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)-Yonkovich Yakima (oh, this keeps getting better and better...)

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)-Spring Tullip (Fighting crime one bulb at a time!)

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)-Apple jammie (I like this one!)

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)-Bagel Manzanita (oye!)

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Scrapbook Sunshine Tour (Benji Pathfinder to headline at The Scrapbook Sunshine Tour! LOL!!)

That was hillarious!! Thanks, CD, for the game!!

It's your turn now. Let me know your multiple personalities by playing along and then leaving me a comment. And remember, call me Purple Hippo, please :)

OUCH!!

This evening I was lounging on the couch watching TV when Sedona decided to plop down in front of me. She rolled over on her back in what Travis and I call the "goober" position. Case in point:

Sedona is but a mere pup in this photo, but she's beautifully illustrating the goober pose. She was only two months old (yup, that's the size of a two month old Dane) at the time, and she was already goobering!

Anyway, she assumed the goober position because she loves to get her armpits rubbed. Strange as it may sound, the girl is all about her armpits. So, as I lean down to give them a good rub, she reaches for me with her front paw, and in one fell-swoop, she scratches my face, right below my left eye. It felt like sand paper rubbing across my skin. I naturally poped up to see how bad the damage was, and my eye was already swelling. I washed it off and put an ice-pack on. It's been several hours since this happened, and I'm happy to report that the only thing visible on my face is three scratches right under my eye. At least she didn't actually take out my eyeball, right?!

Life with a 180-lb Great Dane can be hazardous at times, but it's always fun!

Sketching Again

I've always liked to draw and sketch, and up until a few years ago, I used to draw quite regulary. For one reason or another, I stopped. Last night, however, I decided to pick up my sketch book and pencils and start drawing again. It felt wonderful to be so creative!

I've been tagged!!

My blogger friend, Nicole, tagged me today! Here's the deal: Link to the person who tagged you; Share 7 random facts about yourself; Tag 7 other people and leave them a comment to let them know you tagged them; and, post these rules on your blog!

So, you want to know 7 random facts about me? Okay, here it goes...

1. I can't live without Arizona raspberry iced-tea.
2. Gloomy WA weather gets me down.
3. I like to sing really loudly in the car even though I can't sing well.
4. I secretly like to watch "The Golden Girls" on Lifetime TV (guess it's not a secret anymore!!).
5. My career is wildlife biology.
6. I can recite "Legally Blonde" word-for-word from start to finish (just ask my husband!).
7. My car license plate frame reads "Too bad stupid doesn't hurt."

Okay, now I want to hear from you seven gals:

1. Ali Davis
2. Dettao
3. Martha
4. Latrice
5. Erica
6. Tink
7. Laurie

Have fun, ladies!!

She's going to be okay!

I think I can safely say that Sedona was indeed bit by a bug. Her paw is almost back to normal, and she's no longer limping. As a matter of fact, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was ever sick! Yup, the biggest girl is going to be just fine...

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes!!

My poor puppy-dog

Each day in my house is like a mini animal adventure. Today was no exception.

I woke up this morning at the usual time, and went about doing my normal routine - animal clean-up, check the message board, and make myself breakfast. Usually when Sedona sees me stir in bed, she gets up to greet me, but not today. I figured she was being a lazy bones as she sometimes is in the morning, so I didn't think anything of it. However, when I called her to come get her morning yum-yums, she didn't come. Now that's not at all like Sedona. She's always up for her food. I called her again, and this time she tried to get up, but almost fell over. By this time, I knew something is wrong. I walked over to see what's going on, and I noticed that she had her right paw up in the air. I stepped back and called her to me, and poor thing was limping! I looked down at her paw, and it was completely swollen!! I called the vet to make an appointment, but they only had a 3:30 slot open. Poor thing just slept all day until it was time to leave for the vet office.

I have to say, I really like Sedona's vet, Dr. Denise. We have been clients of hers since we moved up here last year. Sedona was such a good girl, letting Dr. Denise examine her paw thorougly. She didn't see any foreign objects or feel anything unusual. Just to be on the safe side, she snapped some x-rays of her paw. The vet techs said Sedona was so good for them!! They had her stand on her hind legs and put her front paws on the x-ray table. She's such a good girl :)

The x-rays didn't reveal anything abnormal, although Dr. Denise did see a little area of potential concern, but she didn't know if we were looking at an abnormality or if Sedona just had her paws at an akward angle. Her paw was so swollen that we could actually see the soft tissue on the x-ray, something that you don't normally observe on a film. So, the diagnosis (at least for now) - some type of soft tissue inflammation most likely associated with an insect bite. I bet anything that she was bit by one of those gigantic spiders we have seen crawling around the house. The weather is getting colder, and the spiders are now moving into the house. It also doesn't help that it's spider mating season.

We left the vet office with pain medicine, an anti-inflammatory/analgesic, and an antihistimine. Poor thing was totally knocked out until about an hour ago. I snapped these pics when she was really drowsy.

Can you tell which paw is swollen? (I'll give you hint - it's the GIGANTIC one.)

And here it is up close...

One more of her looking attentively at her daddy...

I do hope she starts to feel better!!

Use your scraps!!

I was at a very fun crop this past Friday night where I was able to work on some of my Christmas cards. I have a lot of scraps in my stash that I really wanted to use, so I came up with this fun card. Take a look:

I'm very excited about the way this particular card turned out. I think the brads add just the right amount of bling!

Goodbye, Sun

Today is one of those rare winter days here in WA. The sun is out. The temperature is mild. All seems to be just right.

We took Sedona to Evergreen Park this afternoon just to get her out and about. I wanted Travis to see the starfish I had spotted yesterday at the end of the pier. Unfortunately, the water was too murky to really see them or to get a good picture, but he could make out their outline. Here are some pics from the pier:

While walking around the park, Travis spotted the cuttest little catterpillar. He was so green!

Of course, what would our trip be if we didn't get a mini photo shoot in by the water??

I know days like this are now few and far between, so I say, "Goodbye, Sun. Come visit us again real soon!"

A late night

Last night was a late one for me. I stayed up well past my bedtime to complete this challenge from the CKMB - use a canvas to create a piece of scrapping art. I picked up this 8x10 canvas at JoAnns for half price a while back and just had it sitting in my craft stash.

I had a lot of fun putting this piece together since I actually pulled out my painting supplies to first cover the canvas. It felt good to hold a paint brush again! The picture is from Travis and my wedding reception, and it's definitely one of my favorites. I used foam stamps to make the word "Love." The tag is a $1 Big Lots find from quite a while ago. I shaped the champaign-colored wire myself (I have a lot since I do make jewelry, too!), and the rest of the embellishments are random goodies from my "love & marriage" collection.

Thanks for looking!!

First Batch of Holiday Cards

Here is a sample of my first batch of holiday cards for my craft fair. Please let me know which design you believe will sell best at the show. I appreciate any and all input!

More cards to share!

'Tis the season for card-making, and I'm off to a fun start with these Halloween cards. All of these will be going to family and friends, so you just might see one of these in your mailbox soon!

I hope to make some more cards this evening, but I will be focusing on Christmas cards to sell at my upcoming craft fair. Wish me luck!!

Happy National Card Making Day!!

I wanted to wish everyone a creative Saturday! Here's my card for the day. I plan on making more tonight after watching a movie with Travis.

I made this card using my Mike's $1 stamp find and some free patterned paper (free is always good for me!).

How did you spend National Card Making Day??

Oh, to be a cat for a day!

Look at my two lazy felines:

Wouldn't it be nice to be completely care-free for just a day? To lounge around the house in utter bliss knowing that everything is just dandy?

I snapped this picture last week when the weather hadn't yet turned from nice to down right cold. I have since changed out our bedding from the luscious cotton sheets to the warm and cozy flannel ones. The bedspread got an overhaul as well. A fluffly warm goose down comforter wraps me in warmth every night. With temperatures dipping into the low 40s, I'll take all the coziness I can get!

So, is it fall in your neck of the woods yet?